barred rock or something else?

[homecatmom]

Hi all. I have 2 barred rocks and 2 RIR's. I just went to the breed website and it said that my rocks should have yellow legs. They don't! Their legs are sort of dark grey in the front all the way down their toes. Does this mean they are not barred rocks? I will get the girls to model their lovely legs for you tomorrow, as they have gone to bed for the evening already. It is only 6pm here in California but it has been a gloomy overcast day and they put themselves to bed early. Thanks for your input.
Cathy

 

[speckledhen]

The pullets always have a black wash of color down the front of the legs so they are probably BRs. Cockerels may have a little, but not as much. It's one of the sexing clues for BRs.

 

[greyfields]

The green tinting is called "mossing" or something, isn't it? It's a bad trait in barred rocks that the big hatcheries have propogated. It's also impossible to breed out of stock which have it present. So if you plan to show, make sure you start with yellow legged birds. I got a white ribbon because my BR roo had gray/green down the front of his legs.

 

[homecatmom]

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering if I had something other than a BR. The girls aren't for show. They are for eggs and pets. Their legs are pretty.

 

[speckledhen]

I've never seen the green you're talking about. I mean a black wash down the front. Old sexing manuals always spoke of this as a way to tell the pullets from the cockerels and I've never seen a BR pullet without it to some degree. The leg is still yellow, but with black down the front.