Long time lurker has sexing question :)

Hi all, I have used this site for a reference for several months now, but somehow just now got around to joining. Awesome info on this site, so kudos .

So my question is...

I have some F2 generation Olive Eggers in my incubator due to hatch next Tuesday or Wednesday. They hens were a cross between a Cuckoo marans rooster and an Easter Egger hen. The fertilizing rooster was a Blue or Black Marans.

That being said I have no pictures of the hens, but from the info I have and what I'm reading would have to assume they were barred to some degree if their father was a cuckoo marans. Right?

So if the hens of my eggs were barred and the fertilizing rooster was a blue or black marans would I have any indication of sex in my chicks by color? My understanding of chicken genetics is rudimentary at best and this is a little beyond me.

I was also going to look at the wing feathers as soon as they hatched to see if that in any way helps, but I have heard that only works for some breeds.

Thanks for the input, here are my eggs, hopefully the F2 generation will be darker green. (and 2 blue marans for fun)




Wait, one more question, will I be able to tell the pure marans chicks apart. Oy, this might be tricky, might have to take some vacation days!

Barring will indicate a barred parent. I do believe tere is a sex linked gene within the barred gene. I would need to look it up to be sure.

If your hens were a pure barred breed, the offspring from cross with your Blue or Black Marans rooster would be Black Sex Links. Your male chicks would have a white spot on top of their heads and your female chicks would lack the white spot. However because your hens were a cross with a barred breed, the sex linking will not be reliable.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Michael

IF the original rooster was a pure bred cuckoo Marans, with two copies of the barring gene, all his offspring would carry one barring gene. A hen can only carry one barring gene anyway, so it really doesn't matter what the other parent is. She should express the barring. It may be hard to see depending on the other colors involved, since the hens in the first cross were EE. But, genetically, I think you have sex links. I've tried breeding blue sex links and the head spot is unreliable and fuzzy at times, so the blue bird's chicks may be harder to sex. But the black male's chicks should be pretty easy to spot male vs female, since you've got all that black down.

Telling the OE from the Marans.....they should have different combs, pea vs straight. I'm not sure about shank color.

Can you keep us updated when you get a hatch? I'd love to see how they turn out, especially any of the blue chicks. I was so frustrated trying to breed blue sex links!

I've gotta agree with Donrae on this one as well. (Sorry @Michael OShay )

The barring will genetically be present, you just might not have been able to see it in the EE/Cuckoo F1 cross mommas depending on the hen used in the cross (wheaten tends to wash out the sexlinking dot). However that F1 momma will have presented 1 barred gene to this match which will go to her male offspring as the Blue or Black Marans pappa is not barred.

Whether the Blue or the Black was the father, I think you will pretty much get black chicks with that crossing from my experience. Black (BCM) roo over Cuckoo momma will give you black females and barred males. Blue roo over Cuckoo momma will give you either blue or black females and barred males.....I've just seen black come through with the Marans crossings (with Isbars, who also have a blue)...that blue tends to be elusive.

The EE side of the hen could add in some other color patterns, like birching, which might hide a dot, but again I've pretty much seen black become dominant in the BCM/Blue Marans mix OE chicks I've hatched.

Adding Splash into the equation would change things up, but you haven't got that option. (I'm going for a Blue Laced darker layer when I hatch from my Splash Marans hen and Barnevelder rooster...my spring project).

LofMc

donrae said:

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Michael

Click to expand...

Lady of McCamley said:

I've gotta agree with Donrae on this one as well. (Sorry @Michael OShay )

Click to expand...

LOL! No problem; with the two of you in agreement I'm probably wrong on this one. I would like it if awlcm4 could post some good pics of the chicks after they hatch and we could try sexing them by color. It would be interesting to see how many of them we got right as they mature. )

Oh yeah, I want to see pics too!

I will for sure! Sorry my names Amanda, my signature must not have saved. They are going in lockdown tomorrow. So should be soon.

I look forward to pics as well.

LofMc

agree with donrae and waiting for pictures