Barred Rock, cream legbar hens crossed with Wheaten Ameraucana?

[Marme]

Ok, so I’m very fascinated by genetics and I have just set 9 eggs in the incubator that are a result of two hens crossed with my wheaten Ameraucana rooster. I have 5 barred rock eggs and 4 cream legbar eggs started. Can either of these crossed be sexed at birth or even once feathering starts coming in because of the barred genes in both the hens?? Any feedback on what to expect would be helpful. A friend hatched out some of the same eggs for me and she got yellow chicks from the cream legbar and black chicks with white spots on their heads from the barred rock. What would the indications be for both crosses on male vs female?? Pictures are my rooster and two hens and then the chicks my friend hatched out from their eggs.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

wheaten Ameraucana rooster. I have 5 barred rock eggs and 4 cream legbar eggs started. Can either of these crossed be sexed at birth or even once feathering starts coming in because of the barred genes in both the hens??

Hi there.

Those should be fun crosses... and yes I do believe they WILL be sex linked at HATCH... not birth.

The white spot should be on the head of either color the yellow or black chicks... white spot equals male. No spot is female... in theory at least is my understanding. It can be harder to see on some colors.

If the white spot isn't identifiable at hatch... once feathers are coming in, females should be solid colored and males should have barring.

Also, please note I have never seen a barred Rock egg look like that and according to comb (points) and white legs... suspect she MIGHT be a cuckoo Marans with clean legs???

Hope your hatch goes well!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes, you will get sex links as both hens are barred.

However, the wheaten coloring in the rooster could give light down which may make the barring harder to see between the CL/Ameraucana cross....I'm not sure how wheaten will impact the red-brown undertones of the CL. Generally I should think the chicks will be partridge....solid stripe brown for girls, white head streak-dot for boys. It gets trickier if there is a diluting coloring in the down as it makes it harder to see the stripe.

As to the barred rock-ameraucana....I *think* that is a Barred Rock and not a Cuckoo Marans. The leg color matches a Barred more than a Cuckoo...but it doesn't matter as to the outcome. The female chicks will be solid black while the males will be black with head dot. I agree that the egg is speckled which doesn't normally happen with a pure Barred Rock but you will see that in a Marans.

I'm trying to remember my wheaten genetics...and I *think* it is recessive....so nobody will be affected by it this generation. However breed these siblings together, and you will get wheaten throw backs....if I remember right.

Good luck with your hatch

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Just looked it up...there is a dominant Wheaten gene and also a recessive Wheaten gene.

I've no idea what a Wheaten Ameraucana would have....however it *should* only dilute the Cream Legbar down and adult colors, but barring will come through in juveniles/adults.

Wheaten-Barred/Cuckoo crosses are still black females, barred males.

LofMc

 

[Marme]

Hi there.

Those should be fun crosses... and yes I do believe they WILL be sex linked at HATCH... not birth.

The white spot should be on the head of either color the yellow or black chicks... white spot equals male. No spot is female... in theory at least is my understanding. It can be harder to see on some colors.

If the white spot isn't identifiable at hatch... once feathers are coming in, females should be solid colored and males should have barring.

Also, please note I have never seen a barred Rock egg look like that and according to comb (points) and white legs... suspect she MIGHT be a cuckoo Marans with clean legs???

Hope your hatch goes well!

Haha, yes sorry I meant hatch. And how did I miss that??? I bought her as a chick as a barred rock and I had heard about the legs before but I guess since I was looking I never noticed! She’s mouthy and friendly like my other barred rocks I’ve owned so I never questioned it. I’ve never had a cuckoo marans so not familiar with their temperament or anything. She’s very friendly and talkative. So does that mean any pullets could be olive eggers then?

 

[Marme]

Just looked it up...there is a dominant Wheaten gene and also a recessive Wheaten gene.

I've no idea what a Wheaten Ameraucana would have....however it *should* only dilute the Cream Legbar down and adult colors, but barring will come through in juveniles/adults.

Wheaten-Barred/Cuckoo crosses are still black females, barred males.

LofMc

These were the chicks that my friend hatched out that were the same crosses (my eggs) The black ones started getting barring on their wings so I assume all boys and the yellow ones all looked like the pictures below. But I never got a good look to see if we could find a white head spot. Thoughts?

 

[Marme]

Hi there.

Those should be fun crosses... and yes I do believe they WILL be sex linked at HATCH... not birth.

The white spot should be on the head of either color the yellow or black chicks... white spot equals male. No spot is female... in theory at least is my understanding. It can be harder to see on some colors.

If the white spot isn't identifiable at hatch... once feathers are coming in, females should be solid colored and males should have barring.

Also, please note I have never seen a barred Rock egg look like that and according to comb (points) and white legs... suspect she MIGHT be a cuckoo Marans with clean legs???

Hope your hatch goes well!

Also, what’s the difference in barred rock combs vs cuckoo marans combs?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Also, what’s the difference in barred rock combs vs cuckoo marans combs?

Both are straight combs... their *may* be differences in size or number of points.

If you look at the sole of the feet... Rock will be yellow and Marans would be white feet bottoms.

I was not able to see any white head spots on the wheatie colored chicks. I've been breeding bantam wheaten Ameraucana for just about a year now (so still very new).. and almost feel like the really large black streak headed chicks are male... but haven't had enough time yet to experiment and confirm.

In your cross I would presume that any showing barring as they develop are male.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Yes...of the barred rock vs. marans cross, any barring will be male. Both have single combs, so all chicks will have single.

As to the Wheatens....ah yes, you have dominant wheaten....I too seemed to find head stripe width sort of indicated difference between male and female, but there will be a barring spot...you just won't see it well at all in the wheaten yellow chick. Those will be a lot trickier. It seemed to me the more true chipmunk chips tended to be female while the splotchier marked chicks male...but there were a number that just didn't fit and I had to wait and see. (I was working with Rhodebars, with a recessive wheaten throw back).

Good luck with your current hatch.
LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

As to your olive egger question....you could have some interesting speckling as the hen does on her eggs, but you likely won't get olive. Brown wash (and speckles) over blue shell will produce shades of green. You have to have a fairly dark wash to get the olive. Then I find only about 1/3 become a truly nice shade which I then breed back to the dark roo to set that line, which again improves the colors but is no guarantee. Brown wash genetics are tricky and not reliable.

You will get green of some sort and likely very lovely green. This is my egg charts. I'm working with Barnevelder (proven rooster for deep terra cotta genes) and Cream Legbar: