Help sex my ambiguous Cream Legbar day-old

[LAFreewayChickens]

As you may know Cream Legbars are an autosexing breed. Like sex-linked hybrids, you should be able to sex at hatched based on coloration. But not everything is black and white.

Males are supposed to have a light spot on their head. Females have clearly defined chipmunk strips on their backs and eye stripes, while males have fuzzier striping. Boys are generally lighter than girls.

I have a chick that has no head spot, but has fuzzy stripes. I'm pretty sure he is a boy, but I hope some Legbar experts can chime in. (I am going to post a link to this thread on the CL thread).



Bottom chick is clearly a girl, top chick is the question mark.


Here he(?) is from the side so you can see the eye stripes.

 

[Pele]

This happens in all hybrids and breeds that autosex. Occasionally you'll get a male with really light female stripes (I've gotten the same thing out of an order of Red SLs).

I would put a ton of money on that one being such a male.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Yes I think your guess is correct, the "blurring" of his back is the tip-off to me, strange he has a dark headspot instead of a light one. You are correct that this little guy shoudn't be bred from (at least not for a CL line), you may lose the autosexing ability if you do.

Post a picture in about 2 weeks, you should know for sure by then! I'm interested in seeing if we are correct.

Rinda

 

[KPenley]

Yes I think your guess is correct, the "blurring" of his back is the tip-off to me, strange he has a dark headspot instead of a light one. You are correct that this little guy shoudn't be bred from (at least not for a CL line), you may lose the autosexing ability if you do.

Post a picture in about 2 weeks, you should know for sure by then! I'm interested in seeing if we are correct.

Rinda

x2 Can't wait to see update pics

 

[redchicken9]

X3!! Can you post pics in 2 weeks on the legbar thread? In case I forget to check back.

 

[LAFreewayChickens]

here is a one week update photo, that also shows more clearly that the questionable chick does have chipmunk stripes, just not as clear as the known female.

 

[KPenley]

hmmmm...in that picture they seem closer. What color is the chest down on the known female?

 

[hdowden]

looks like a cockerel all the way

pullet

cockerel

 

[LAFreewayChickens]

They both have similar light tan chest down (at this point).

I recall some discussion on a UK forum which placed a lot of emphasis on the eye stripes.

Also, the parents came from two different flocks with different coloration, one produced lighter chicks (holding sex constant) and one produced darker chicks. My roo was lighter with a clear headspot as a chick, while the hen was darker. (Both were hatched from shipped hatching eggs at the same time).

 

[hdowden]

the lighter one is a cockerel