[orchardlady]

A couple of years ago I bred a few chicks. I cannot remember what variety they are now but they are medium sized, jet black and lay beautiful blue eggs.

Last year they had their first moult and grew feathers back that left the hens still jet black but with random feathers that were totally snow white so they looked like a reverse Dalmatian. This year they have moulted again and this time they are back to total jet black. Any ideas?

[joyfull]

is she a black araucana? - these are blue egg layers and come in a variety of colours including black, white, cuckoo, lavender, red/black, red/blue, crele etc. Perhaps the white feathers were a throwback to a white one in her parentage.


http://www.araucana.org.uk/photos.html

[orchardlady]

No joyful not araucanas just look like a standard shaped black hen. Very odd the feather change. Your idea sounds perfectly plausible.

[joyfull]

sounds like she is an araucana cross to lay blue eggs (it is the araucana that the other blue/green egg layers get that coloured egg gene from).

[cluckingnuts]

Could have the mottling gene as in Exchequer Leghorns and Speckled Sussex.

[themagicaltoad1]

My silkie x cream legbars are black and lay blue/ green eggs, one of them has brown speckles in her feathers and lays speckled eggs.

[joyfull]

the cream legbar has araucana in it's genetic makeup hence the blue/green eggs 

[stan deakin]

i accidently crossed a Dutch columbian with a silver Dutch cock , and when the chicks moulted out they have made lovely spotted birds black and white , i still have them

stan