Thinking of trying an experiment.

[Ridgerunner]

That was my thought too. With the Buff Rooster you will get red sex link chicks. The red down should not be real dark red but side by side I don’t think you will have any trouble telling them apart.

With the white rooster I don’t know what you will get. It depends on whether he is dominant white or recessive white. You could get white chicks, black chicks, or some version of other colors or patterns, depending on what is hiding under that white.

 

[bobbi-j]

Are the leg bones actually longer or do they just look longer due to meat deficit.

Maybe? One pair for sure was definitely longer, but maybe not as long as I thought they were. I wish I had figured out a way to keep track of who was who after they had been plucked and de-legged. I only know which were the Australorps because we skinned them (they're in the freezer, waiting to go in the canner) and the meat-type bird. The others were 2 Buff Rocks, 1 NN, 1 SLW, and one generic red one.

When considering any breeding program, I go to the sex linked information thread first. Based on the following chart, putting the BR with the SPR will give you red sex linked chicks. Not sure how easy they will be to id, but worthy of consideration.

http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/2/2e/2eb469e7_13371_sexlinkedredr.jpeg

Thanks for the link! I'll have to check that out.

That was my thought too. With the Buff Rooster you will get red sex link chicks. The red down should not be real dark red but side by side I don’t think you will have any trouble telling them apart.

With the white rooster I don’t know what you will get. It depends on whether he is dominant white or recessive white. You could get white chicks, black chicks, or some version of other colors or patterns, depending on what is hiding under that white.

So, the red sex-linked ones would be the pullets? The white one is a White Giant from McMurray. I don't know if that means anything or not. He's a hatchery bird, so who knows? I just kept him for his size.

 

[bobbi-j]

Got my first pullet egg today! A cute little thing, about 1/3 the size of the rest. It was in a nice little nest, right under the nest boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

From the Buff Rock, the red (or buff) ones would be pullets, The yellow (white ) ones would be males. I have no idea what the offspring of the white cockerel one would look like. There is no telling what is hiding under that white.

 

[lazy gardener]

Maybe? One pair for sure was definitely longer, but maybe not as long as I thought they were. I wish I had figured out a way to keep track of who was who after they had been plucked and de-legged. I only know which were the Australorps because we skinned them (they're in the freezer, waiting to go in the canner) and the meat-type bird. The others were 2 Buff Rocks, 1 NN, 1 SLW, and one generic red one.

Thanks for the link! I'll have to check that out.

So, the red sex-linked ones would be the pullets? The white one is a White Giant from McMurray. I don't know if that means anything or not. He's a hatchery bird, so who knows? I just kept him for his size.

Buff rock roo x Silver Pencil rock hen will yield 100% sex link chicks. Which means that the males will resemble their mother in coloring or feather pattern, and the females will resemble their father in coloring.

 

[bobbi-j]

From the Buff Rock, the red (or buff) ones would be pullets, The yellow (white ) ones would be males. I have no idea what the offspring of the white cockerel one would look like. There is no telling what is hiding under that white.

Well, in with the Buff she goes! Would it work the same way with the Barred Rock pullets and Buff Rooster?

 

[bobbi-j]

Buff rock roo x Silver Pencil rock hen will yield 100% sex link chicks. Which means that the males will resemble their mother in coloring or feather pattern, and the females will resemble their father in coloring.

Awesome! This will be fun! At least with that ONE combination, I'll know who's who. The rest, I'm sure, will be a crap shoot. That's fine, though. As I've said before, it's not a real formal experiment. More of a project.

 

[lazy gardener]

Go back to the charts on the thread. There's a chart for red sex link, black sex link, and even feather sexing, along with a pretty well written explanation of how the charts work. I'll see if I can pull it up for you.

That breeding would produce a black sex linked chick. Read the entire post for specifics. That will tell you how easy the chicks will be to discern given the lighter color of the roo. I've played with using my avatar roo (EE) over Dominique and SLW. I was not able to id the SLW female cross chicks b/c they got mixed in with everyone else. But, the EE x Dom chicks were awesome, and super easy to id. Produced a wonderful bird. So much so that I plan to order some Dom pullets next spring to use again.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks, LG! Going on a road trip tomorrow, so will have plenty of time to check out the charts while DH is driving. I'm going to have several breeds of hens in with each rooster. Haven't decided what I'm going do about hatching next year. Hatch eggs from certain hens only? Hatch out a grab bag of whatever eggs are ready when (a) I have a broody or (b) I feel like incubating? Good thing I have time to mull this over.

 

[lazy gardener]

Don't forget that you can also do a gender shaped egg experiment with your hatch. I just love playing with the genetics of the flock!