I've had a small but pretty bright emerald-green opaline hen I decided to cabinet breed with a nice sky blue recessive pied cock.

 

This is their first nest and for a long time I wasn't sure it would work at all - she seemed pretty blasé about the whole breeding box business and he was on the rebound from losing his mate (she died suddenly).

 

Anyway they sorted their differences and she laid 5 eggs of which only one has hatched. The youngster is definitely pied, definitely yellow. I am not sure whether it's going to be dark green/olive or a lighter green. Those quills have not yet opened enough to see colour although I suspect dark green ...

 

I'm hoping for (eventually) a light or bright green recessive pied - perhaps in the next clutch.

 

Anyway my question is: as the cock is a visual recessive pied and the hen is visually a normal opaline, does the pied chick mean she *must* be split for recessive pied? She is an aviary bred bird and her parentage is unknown. I'm working backwards on this one.

 

Cheers,

KathyW.

congrats on the little pied- yep mum 'must' be split rec pied.

50% recessive pie & 50%split recessive pie

you are correct