If the adult birds have white feathers, the chicks will have a yellow hue. This is due to the pigment from the egg yolk. Yet, fumigating with formaldehyde can make the yellow color appear more vibrant, although too much can damage the respiratory system of the chicks.
Why Are Baby Chicks Yellow?
Baby chicks, particularly of breeds like the Rhode Island Red or Leghorn, are typically yellow due to pigmentation in their down feathers. This yellow color is a result of xanthophylls, a type of pigment found in their mother’s diet.
If the hen consumes feed rich in yellow-orange plant pigments known as carotenoids (found in foods like corn and alfalfa), these pigments can be deposited in the yolk of the egg and, consequently, the developing chick. However, it’s interesting to note that not all chicks are yellow; the color can vary depending on factors such as breed and diet.
When they are baby, they make a sound known as chirping. This sound indicate that baby need to communicate with caretakes.
Are Yellow Chicks More Common?
Humans have been engaging in selective breeding of chickens for centuries, resulting in diverse breeds. This process has been used to develop desirable traits and remove undesirable ones.
Recently, the poultry industry has significantly impacted the choice of breeding techniques, with farmers aiming to breed chickens that are fit for mass production.
Although brown and white chickens remain in high demand, many farms are now raising chickens of various colors. While yellow chicks are the most common, they are certainly not the only color available.
What Shade Do Baby Chicks Have?
Baby chicks are attractive for many reasons. One is that they have different colors. While the common assumption is that they’re all yellow, they can be white, black, or any other color.
By studying the parents, you can usually guess what the adult chicken will look like. Genetics are important in determining a chick’s feathers, which look like an adult bird.
Do Chicken Breeds Vary in Color?
The different breeds of chickens look different because of their colors, each having a particular pattern.
Here are some other famous breeds:
Sussex chicks are exactly what you imagine when you think ‘baby chicken’ – small, yellow, and fluffy! Within the first two weeks, Light Sussex will slightly show the black markings on their neck and tail.
Buff Orpington chicks are very stereotypical, being yellow with fluffy feathers. They are entirely adorable, perfect little puffballs, but blink, and they are already sprouting their adult feathers as they grow very fast.
The chicks of this breed are a soft rust color with two dark lines running down their backs. As they grow up, their feathers start growing in with patterns of rust and black, but these patterns don’t carry over into maturity.
Leghorns rarely hatch chicks, but those raised using an incubator or a broody hen mature quickly and feather up fast. The Leghorn chick’s coloring will depend on the color of the parent bird. For example, white Leghorn chicks are born yellow, while brown Leghorn chicks are brown and yellow.
The white Wyandotte starts as a yellow chick before growing in mature white feathers. Buff: Buff is a dark grey shade with a subtle hint of blue. These chickens start much lighter as chicks before adopting their beautiful buff hue as adults.
Some interesting facts that you never know
As chicks develop inside the egg, they come into contact with the yolk. Their white, fluffy down feathers absorb the yellow pigmentation of the yolk, turning them yellow.
As we age, we learn that chicks come in lots of colors! Now you know: they can be dyed because the yolk is lighter than usual. You can see this if the color is white, like white feathers.
As their feathers mature, new down will appear, and their yellowing will disappear. Their natural white will be restored.
Conclusion
We usually assume that baby chicks are yellow, but this isn’t necessarily true. Various elements like genetics and breed can determine the shade of a chick’s feathers. For example, several breeds of chickens hatch with yellow feathers and stay that hue for their entire lives.
No matter the type, baby chickens can have brown or black feathers when born. But as they get older, these feathers can become more of a yellow color. Various factors mix to give each chicken’s feathers its particular hue, making each one different.
