Cream Legbar cross chicks (Maran x CL, Barred Rock x CL), colouring genetics and sexing

[connieconnie]

So I've recently been sucked into the black hole of what is chicken colouring genetics. And after days of research... I'm still a bit confused
I've discovered how wonderfully complex and interesting this area is! And would like some advice, thoughts, opinions or maybe some links to information.

I have a small backyard flock here in the UK, with a Cream Legbar cockerel (CL) and a collection of unrelated hens of different breeds (Blue copper Maran (M), Black copper Maran (M), Silver Grey Dorking (SGD), Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR) and Crested Cream Legbar (CL)). On March 30th 2021 (a couple of days ago), I hatched 3 Purebred Cream Legbars (CLxCL), 3 Copper Maran cross Cream Legbars (MxCL) and 2 Barred Plymouth Rock cross Cream Legbars (BPRxCL)

I was surprised to get a yellow chick with feathered legs and a chick with no feathered legs from my MxCL!
I was wondering:

1. what these chicks feather colouring will be in the future?
2. if there is any sex identification that can be done from hatch?
3. and why a Maran cross chick can not have feathered legs?

So here are the Chicks description with photos:

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with Cream Legbar Hen (CLxCL):

• Chick 1 (Honey) CLxCL - Yellow, chipmunk pattern, yellow legs, no yellow headspot - female?

• Chick 2 (Popcorn) CLxCL - Yellow, Yellow legs, white headspot, fleck of brown on forehead, very light gingery chipmunk pattern - male?

• Chick 3 (Butter) CLxCL - Yellow, Yellow legs, white scattered headspot, very light gingery chipmunk pattern - male?

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with either Blue or Black copper Maran Hen (CLxM):

• Chick 4 (Pita) CLxM - Yellow, Yellow feathered legs, light yellow underbelly with slightly more gingery top, no headspot

• Chick 5 (Momo) CLxM - Black, white chest, Large white headspot, feathered legs, Yellow legs

• Chick 6 (Katsu) CLxM - Black, white chest, scattered white headspot with some ginger marks within, no feathering on legs

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with Barred Plymouth Rock Hen (CLxBPR):

• Chick 7 (Tamari) CLxBPR - Black, black chest, scattered white headspot, white mark on under left eyelid

• Chick 8 (Seaseme) CLxBPR - Black, Black chest, smallest chick, defined white headspot in 'J' shape

(my other two chicks, just if you are interested - not CL cross) Purebred Maran chicks (MxM):

• Chick 9 (Bamboo) MxM - Light grey, white chest and white markings

• Chick 10 (Ginger) MxM - Dark grey, white chest and white markings

Please let me know if from these chicks you can decipher their sex or genetics, including if you can work out any indices of the genetics of the parents (Cockerel or Hens). Thank you so much for your help!

I was wondering if because I got a yellow, non-barred chick from CLxM, then my Cockerel (Noodle) only has one Barring gene? As this chick has no barring, is it more likely to be male?

will post photos of the parents

 

[connieconnie]

Father (CL - Noodle - White and grey mottled undercoat, with gold, cream and red barred top feathering, and a grey mottled and barred tail, small head crest):
View attachment 2594578
Mother of CLxCL chicks 1,2,3 (CL - Nutmeg - standard cream legbar hen colouring and a really strong head crest):
View attachment 2594579
Mothers of CLxM chicks 4,5,6 (M - Coconut (blue copper Maran) or Piec (black copper Maran)):

Mother of CLxBPR chicks 7,8 (BPR - Piri Piri - standard black barring):

 

[connieconnie]

Father (CL - Noodle - White and grey mottled undercoat, with gold, cream and red barred top feathering, and a grey mottled and barred tail, small head crest):

Mother of CLxCL chicks 1,2,3 (CL - Nutmeg - standard cream legbar hen colouring and a really strong head crest):

 

[Bantambird]

If your sire had been the marans and your dam the cream legbar, and the marans had been a solid color or a black silver or black copper, you could have created olive egger sexlinks. I made a short video on it when I hatched a few using this combination.

 

[CherieNZ]

Beautiful collection of chickens. Would love to see any updated pics showing how the crossed chicks turned out?

 

[Bassclassic57]

So I've recently been sucked into the black hole of what is chicken colouring genetics. And after days of research... I'm still a bit confused
I've discovered how wonderfully complex and interesting this area is! And would like some advice, thoughts, opinions or maybe some links to information.

I have a small backyard flock here in the UK, with a Cream Legbar cockerel (CL) and a collection of unrelated hens of different breeds (Blue copper Maran (M), Black copper Maran (M), Silver Grey Dorking (SGD), Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR) and Crested Cream Legbar (CL)). On March 30th 2021 (a couple of days ago), I hatched 3 Purebred Cream Legbars (CLxCL), 3 Copper Maran cross Cream Legbars (MxCL) and 2 Barred Plymouth Rock cross Cream Legbars (BPRxCL)

I was surprised to get a yellow chick with feathered legs and a chick with no feathered legs from my MxCL!
I was wondering:

1. what these chicks feather colouring will be in the future?
2. if there is any sex identification that can be done from hatch?
3. and why a Maran cross chick can not have feathered legs?

So here are the Chicks description with photos:

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with Cream Legbar Hen (CLxCL):

• Chick 1 (Honey) CLxCL - Yellow, chipmunk pattern, yellow legs, no yellow headspot - female?

View attachment 2594422View attachment 2594423View attachment 2594424View attachment 2594425

• Chick 2 (Popcorn) CLxCL - Yellow, Yellow legs, white headspot, fleck of brown on forehead, very light gingery chipmunk pattern - male?

View attachment 2594427View attachment 2594428View attachment 2594429View attachment 2594430View attachment 2594431

• Chick 3 (Butter) CLxCL - Yellow, Yellow legs, white scattered headspot, very light gingery chipmunk pattern - male?

View attachment 2594432View attachment 2594433View attachment 2594434View attachment 2594435

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with either Blue or Black copper Maran Hen (CLxM):

• Chick 4 (Pita) CLxM - Yellow, Yellow feathered legs, light yellow underbelly with slightly more gingery top, no headspot

View attachment 2594532View attachment 2594533View attachment 2594534View attachment 2594535View attachment 2594536

• Chick 5 (Momo) CLxM - Black, white chest, Large white headspot, feathered legs, Yellow legs

View attachment 2594538View attachment 2594539View attachment 2594540View attachment 2594541

• Chick 6 (Katsu) CLxM - Black, white chest, scattered white headspot with some ginger marks within, no feathering on legs

View attachment 2594542View attachment 2594543View attachment 2594544View attachment 2594545View attachment 2594546

Cream Legbar Cockerel crossed with Barred Plymouth Rock Hen (CLxBPR):

• Chick 7 (Tamari) CLxBPR - Black, black chest, scattered white headspot, white mark on under left eyelid

View attachment 2594547View attachment 2594548View attachment 2594549View attachment 2594550

• Chick 8 (Seaseme) CLxBPR - Black, Black chest, smallest chick, defined white headspot in 'J' shape

View attachment 2594551View attachment 2594552View attachment 2594553View attachment 2594554View attachment 2594555View attachment 2594556

(my other two chicks, just if you are interested - not CL cross) Purebred Maran chicks (MxM):

• Chick 9 (Bamboo) MxM - Light grey, white chest and white markings

View attachment 2594557View attachment 2594558View attachment 2594560View attachment 2594561View attachment 2594562

• Chick 10 (Ginger) MxM - Dark grey, white chest and white markings

View attachment 2594563View attachment 2594564View attachment 2594565View attachment 2594566View attachment 2594568

Please let me know if from these chicks you can decipher their sex or genetics, including if you can work out any indices of the genetics of the parents (Cockerel or Hens). Thank you so much for your help!

I was wondering if because I got a yellow, non-barred chick from CLxM, then my Cockerel (Noodle) only has one Barring gene? As this chick has no barring, is it more likely to be male?

will post photos of the parents

Chick with dark stripe going through it's eye is a pullet (hen), black chicks with yellow spots are cockerels (male). Good luck on the rest!

 

[MommaBison]

If your sire had been the marans and your dam the cream legbar, and the marans had been a solid color or a black silver or black copper, you could have created olive egger sexlinks. I made a short video on it when I hatched a few using this combination.

I'm currently incubating Maran×Barred Rock sire with Cream Legbar dam eggs. The sex-link gene should pass to them, correct? I'm really excited to see what we get! It'll be very interesting to see this mix!

 

[Bantambird]

I'm currently incubating Maran×Barred Rock sire with Cream Legbar dam eggs. The sex-link gene should pass to them, correct? I'm really excited to see what we get! It'll be very interesting to see this mix!

I'm not sure it will work, because you already have one cross as the sire. He doesn't have 2 barring genes himself, he has 1. Therefore half his offspring, regardless of sex, will get a barring gene, because in birds the males are the homomorphic(WW) sex. The legbar will pass her barring to all her sons, because barring is not on the female designated gene, it is only on the W gene, hence why it is sexlinked. The sire can still pass barring to his daughters since he carries one, and he might not pass it evenly. Hope this explanation helps!

 

[MommaBison]

I'm not sure it will work, because you already have one cross as the sire. He doesn't have 2 barring genes himself, he has 1. Therefore half his offspring, regardless of sex, will get a barring gene, because in birds the males are the homomorphic(WW) sex. The legbar will pass her barring to all her sons, because barring is not on the female designated gene, it is only on the W gene, hence why it is sexlinked. The sire can still pass barring to his daughters since he carries one, and he might not pass it evenly. Hope this explanation helps!

This makes sense for the barring! They'll all be barred, I should further qualify my question, will they be auto-sexing? I'm just now learning about genetics, so if barring is linked to auto-sexing, that's new info! Thanks in advance!

 

[MommaBison]

This makes sense for the barring! They'll all be barred, I should further qualify my question, will they be auto-sexing? I'm just now learning about genetics, so if barring is linked to auto-sexing, that's new info! Thanks in advance!

Not all be barred, I confused this 50% of his offspring *could* be barred 50% may not be. That makes sense! Does the affect the auto sexing dot?