Black sex link barred rock? What sex?

[Magpie2]

I was so sure that this bird was a barred rock pullet until it grew some wing feathers. COMPLETELY BLACK! No stripes, nothing. I narrowed down all the possible breeds from what the breeder had to two. Barred Rock, and Black Australorp, but at a few days old it had the white bum, bib, wing tips, and a subtle spot on top of the head of a Barred Rock so I assumed it was a very dark female. But there are no stripes. Four weeks and no stripes!

I’ve read something about a “black sex link” that can make barred rocks all black but I don’t know much about that or how it would affect the sexing.

What is it? Breed or sex, Any ideas?

This bird isn’t actually mine so I don’t have a ton of great photos unfortunately.
Day 1:

Day 2:

Week 1:

Week 3:

Week 4:

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

This chick has a pea comb, so not a Barred Rock for sure. Maybe an Easter-egger or some other mix with a pea combed breed. What breeds does this breeder have? I also think it's a cockerel with the size of that comb already and those big feet.

Black sexlinks can be produced from Barred Rocks; they are a cross using the barring gene, which is sexlinked, to produce chicks that can be sexed at hatch. If the mother is Barred and the father is neither Barred nor pure White, then all the male offspring will have a white spot visible on their heads at hatch and all the females will not. The offspring are no longer Barred Rocks, however, as they would have to be mixed with another breed, or another variety of Plymouth Rock at least, in order to be produced. This bird does not appear to be a black sexlink of any sort, however.

 

[Magpie2]

This chick has a pea comb, so not a Barred Rock for sure. Maybe an Easter-egger or some other mix with a pea combed breed. What breeds does this breeder have? I also think it's a cockerel with the size of that comb already and those big feet.

Black sexlinks can be produced from Barred Rocks; they are a cross using the barring gene, which is sexlinked, to produce chicks that can be sexed at hatch. If the mother is Barred and the father is neither Barred nor pure White, then all the male offspring will have a white spot visible on their heads at hatch and all the females will not. The offspring are no longer Barred Rocks, however, as they would have to be mixed with another breed, or another variety of Plymouth Rock at least, in order to be produced. This bird does not appear to be a black sexlink of any sort, however.

Wow thanks! I double checked the list of breeds that the breeder has and I missed a note at the top listing only three types of roosters, Ameraucana, Partridge Rock, and Rhode Island Red. You’re absolutely right, unless I’ve missed something again, the only roosters with a pea comb would be Ameraucana.
I was really hoping that it was just a spunky pullet but I guess there’s a pretty good chance it’s a cockerel then. there are four other chicks from a different breeder, and only the salmon Faverolles is for sure a female, the double silver laced Barnevelder is a male, and the lavender Orpington is sickly and not developed well enough to tell yet (working on that, not looking like death anymore).
What do you think about the other Ameraucana? I managed to get some better front photos of the barred mix and Ameraucana

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I don't think I can give a n accurate guess on your Ameraucana, if I'm being honest. The comb is pretty wide, but not overly tall or developed, so that bird could really go either way. They're all 4 weeks old right now, correct? Give them a few more weeks to see how they develop, and it should be easier to tell whether they're male or female. Just be warned that some Ameraucanas are hard to tell for sure until they're 12+ weeks old!

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Wow thanks! I double checked the list of breeds that the breeder has and I missed a note at the top listing only three types of roosters, Ameraucana, Partridge Rock, and Rhode Island Red. You’re absolutely right, unless I’ve missed something again, the only roosters with a pea comb would be Ameraucana.
I was really hoping that it was just a spunky pullet but I guess there’s a pretty good chance it’s a cockerel then. there are four other chicks from a different breeder, and only the salmon Faverolles is for sure a female, the double silver laced Barnevelder is a male, and the lavender Orpington is sickly and not developed well enough to tell yet (working on that, not looking like death anymore).
What do you think about the other Ameraucana? I managed to get some better front photos of the barred mix and Ameraucana View attachment 2963303View attachment 2963304

If your chick is a cockerel, it isn’t a barred rock mix.

 

[Magpie2]

If your chick is a cockerel, it isn’t a barred rock mix.

Why not?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Why not?

A barred rock hen will always produce barred sons because barring is sex linked, that’s how black sex links work. Either your chick is a pullet or not actually a barred rock mix since it isn’t barred.

 

[Magpie2]

A barred rock hen will always produce barred sons because barring is sex linked, that’s how black sex links work. Either your chick is a pullet or not actually a barred rock mix since it isn’t barred.

How barred is barred enough? There is a decent amount of white striping on the chest now, nothing on the wings though.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

How barred is barred enough? There is a decent amount of white striping on the chest now, nothing on the wings though.View attachment 2982660

He’s not barred, those white markings are silver leakage.

 

[Magpie2]

He’s not barred, those white markings are silver leakage.

I still think the light spots on the head, bib, belly, and wing tips from the baby photos look like baby barred rock markings but I still don’t know much about chicken genetics yet.
When I was still confused, thinking it had to be purebred, I had narrowed the breeds down to barred rock and black australorp (using egg colour, leg feathering, colour and pattern, etc).

What do you think he could be?

Hens that the breeder has:
Black Copper Maran
Gold Laced Wyandotte
Blue/Red Splash Wyandotte
Brahma
Barred Rock
Partridge Rock
Light Sussex
Rhode Island Red
Black Australorp
Ameraucana
Brown Legbar
Olive Egger
Easter Egger