Two Brothers, Different Looks How Will Their Offspring Turn Out?

[DustBathQueen]

I have two young roosters that hatched from the same parents, but they look surprisingly different from each other. One is noticeably larger, while the other is much smaller. One has a crest on his head, but the other doesnt. Their feather colors are also completely differentone is pure white, while the other has red on his wings.

This has made me wonder: Will they pass on the same traits when they breed? If I were to use both roosters with the same hens, would their chicks turn out looking similar, or could the smaller rooster pass on genes that make his offspring look like the larger one?

Im trying to understand how chicken genetics work in this situation. Since they have the same parents, do they still carry the same genetic possibilities, or does each rooster only pass on traits based on his own appearance?

Id love to hear from anyone who has experience with this type of variation in sibling birds!

[CoryComb]

You might be dealing with hidden recessive traits. The pure white rooster could carry genes for red, and some of his offspring might surprise you by showing unexpected colors!

[CrowingMystic]

Even full siblings can look very different, just like human siblings! Their genetic makeup is unique to each bird. Breeding them could produce a wide variety of traits in their offspring.

[FlockVoyager]

If one rooster is significantly larger, he may carry genes for better growth rates. That's something to consider if you're breeding for size, as his offspring might mature faster and be more robust.

[HenThusiast]

The difference in size is also worth noting. If the smaller rooster breeds, his chicks might be smaller as well, but if he carries hidden genetics for larger size, some of his offspring could still grow bigger.

[ScratchAndCluck]

The red in the wings suggests that the white rooster might be carrying a recessive white gene, while the other has more of the original color. Their chicks could show a mix of both colors.

[FlockGuardian]

If the parent birds carry a mix of genes, then their offspring can express different combinations. Some of the chicks might take after one rooster more than the other, or they could be a perfect blend.

[HenHaven]

It would be fun to hatch a few chicks from both roosters and see the results! If you keep records, you might be able to predict which traits get passed down most consistently over time.

[NestArchitect]

Chicken genetics can be unpredictable! Even though your roosters have the same parents, they likely inherited different combinations of genes. Each rooster will pass on his own unique set, so their offspring could look very different.

[HenHouseHistorian]

The presence of a crest suggests one carries a dominant gene for it while the other doesn't. If you breed the crested rooster, about half of his chicks could inherit the crest, depending on the hen's genetics.