Likely a foolish question

[MamaBelle5]

I saw this mentioned somewhere on here yesterday or the day before a mention of sexing chicks by leg color.

I had 3 EE cockerels and 1 barred rock cockerel mating with 2 high production reds, 2 amberlinks and 1 barred rock pullets.

If I hatch chicks and they have the blue/slate legs, is it safe to assume that they are male? Or is that not an indicator at all? As I said, likely a foolish question. I don't understand chicken genetics, I'm afraid.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I saw this mentioned somewhere on here yesterday or the day before a mention of sexing chicks by leg color.

I had 3 EE cockerels and 1 barred rock cockerel mating with 2 high production reds, 2 amberlinks and 1 barred rock pullets.

If I hatch chicks and they have the blue/slate legs, is it safe to assume that they are male? Or is that not an indicator at all? As I said, likely a foolish question. I don't understand chicken genetics, I'm afraid.

No, you can not sex chickens by leg color. It is just a breed dependent trait. No such thing as a foolish question!

 

[MamaBelle5]

No, you can not sex chickens by leg color. It is just a breed dependent trait. No such thing as a foolish question!

The answer I suspected, but not the one I wanted. Thank you!!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

You are welcome!
You can create SOME sex linked chickens using your barred hen (not the rooster though) crossed with a non barred rooster. Boy chicks of this crossing will be barred, girl chicks non barred. It does require that you know which chick hatched from which egg and exactly which parents it has!

 

[MamaBelle5]

You are welcome!
You can create SOME sex linked chickens using your barred hen (not the rooster though) crossed with a non barred rooster. Boy chicks of this crossing will be barred, girl chicks non barred. It does require that you know which chick hatched from which egg and exactly which parents it has!

Well I know which eggs are hers, but I don't know who the father would be. If the father is the barred rooster, would the girl chicks be barred?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Well I know which eggs are hers, but I don't know who the father would be. If the father is the barred rooster, would the girl chicks be barred?

Yes! Sex linking with barred chickens only works if the mother is barred and father is non barred.

 

[MamaBelle5]

Yes! Sex linking with barred chickens only works if the mother is barred and father is non barred.

Cool! So if I have a chick that hatches from one of her eggs that isn't barred, it's a pullet! That is incredible information!! Thank you!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Cool! So if I have a chick that hatches from one of her eggs that isn't barred, it's a pullet! That is incredible information!! Thank you!

Only if the non barred rooster is the father!

 

[annageckos]

I'm not familiar with the black skin gene, but it is sex linked. That is probably were you read about it. I can't tell you more because I don't know the details.

 

[NatJ]

No, you can not sex chickens by leg color. It is just a breed dependent trait. No such thing as a foolish question!

Certain crosses could be sexed by leg color, but with a mix of parents like this I would want to double-check sex by some other means rather than relying purely on the leg color.

I had 3 EE cockerels and 1 barred rock cockerel mating with 2 high production reds, 2 amberlinks and 1 barred rock pullets.

If I hatch chicks and they have the blue/slate legs, is it safe to assume that they are male? Or is that not an indicator at all? As I said, likely a foolish question. I don't understand chicken genetics, I'm afraid.

Blue/slate legs are more likely to occur on female chicks with those parents. Light legs, or legs with some black (common in Barred Rocks) will probably occur on chicks of both genders.

Cool! So if I have a chick that hatches from one of her eggs that isn't barred, it's a pullet!

Yes.

Eggs from the Barred Rock hen could produce barred males or barred females (depending on the father), but not-barred chicks must be female, and their father would be one of the not-barred roosters.