Breed and Gender Please (Stripe and Barbie) - Possible RIR, Red Sex Link, or Plymouth Barred Rock Hen with RIR or Blue Barred Rock Rooster

[valesmichelle]

These two chicks hatched Valentine's Day, 2/14/2023, so it's not quite 4 weeks old. They are very similar. Actually, the only way I can tell them apart right now is by the black strip that runs down the back of "Striper's" head. We call that one Stripe, and the other one (without the black stripe, we call her Barbie. Neither of them have a pronounced comb, so I hope they are both pullet's.
Not quite sure if they hatched from a RIR, Red Sex Link, or Plymouth Rock egg.
At the time the eggs were incubated, there were two roosters on the farm. One was a RIR and the other was a Blue Plymouth Rock. The Blue Plymouth Rock was young, approximately 4-5 months old and was only there for approximately one month.
Best guess to the breed and gender of this chick?
If more pics are needed, please let me know what would be the best angle.

 

[NatJ]

I would guess female for both of them.
Mother would be Rhode Island Red or Red Sexlink.


It looks like Stripe has dark feet (green) while Barbie has light feet (yellow), so there's a way to tell them apart after they shed their chick down.

Father is a problem, because female chicks with dark feet must inherit that gene from their father, and neither rooster "should" have dark feet. Are you able to post photos of the fathers?

 

[valesmichelle]

I would guess female for both of them.
Mother would be Rhode Island Red or Red Sexlink.


It looks like Stripe has dark feet (green) while Barbie has light feet (yellow), so there's a way to tell them apart after they shed their chick down.

Father is a problem, because female chicks with dark feet must inherit that gene from their father, and neither rooster "should" have dark feet. Are you able to post photos of the fathers?

The father is one of these two.
Blue Plymouth Rock (pic 1 - he’s with me now), he has a little barring on his feet. Or, the RIR (in the back by the black hen. I believe his feet are all yellow.
The Plymouth was on the farm for a short period of time when he was just a few months old (3rd pic). Then he went to another farm and now he's with me.

 

[NatJ]

The father is one of these two.
Blue Plymouth Rock (pic 1 - he’s with me now), he has a little barring on his feet. Or, the RIR (in the back by the black hen. I believe his feet are all yellow.
The Plymouth was on the farm for a short period of time when he was just a few months old (3rd pic). Then he went to another farm and now he's with me.

I can't tell by looking, but one of them must have the recessive gene for dark skin, if you're getting dark-skinned daughters among the chicks.

I put more details in one of your other threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ue-barred-rock-rooster.1567879/#post-26614352

 

[valesmichelle]

I can't tell by looking, but one of them must have the recessive gene for dark skin, if you're getting dark-skinned daughters among the chicks.

I put more details in one of your other threads:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ue-barred-rock-rooster.1567879/#post-26614352

Thank you, I will check out this article. These are actually two separate chicks. Stripe has the black stripe down her head and back, but she also has two more stripes, one on each side under the wings. So, 3 stripes in total. That's why we call her Stripe.

The other is Barbie. She doesn't have the stripes, but she looks identical to Stripe other than those 3 stripes down her head and back. And, yes, their feet are different from each other. Stripe's are a little darker and Barbie's are light. Weird.

 

[NatJ]

These are actually two separate chicks. Stripe has the black stripe down her head and back, but she also has two more stripes, one on each side under the wings. So, 3 stripes in total. That's why we call her Stripe.

The other is Barbie. She doesn't have the stripes, but she looks identical to Stripe other than those 3 stripes down her head and back. And, yes, their feet are different from each other. Stripe's are a little darker and Barbie's are light. Weird.

Yes, I noticed the stripes and the foot color difference.

Given how much alike they look, it seems likely that they share the same father and the same breed of mother (not certain, but likely). The father of Stripe gave her the gene for dark skin, while the father of Barbie gave her the gene for light skin. If one rooster has both genes, then that's quite easy.