Black Sex Links - Did I Screw Up??

[lpyrbby]

I hatched some of my own flock. I was advised in a poultry genetics group that a non-barred roo with a barred hen would create a Black Sex Link.

The chickens involved are as follows:
Rooster - Speckled Sussex
Hens - Barred Rock, Black Australorp, 2 Red Sex Links, Easter Egger, and Dark Cornish

Given that information, the Barred Rock's chick should be a sex link and the only other bird that should throw a black down chick would be the Australorp.

Subject #1



Subject #2


These chicks are 6 weeks old now, but can I please get opinions from others on which of the two you would think is the sex link? Both the eggs were laid on the same day and I only have one of each type of hen.

 

[lpyrbby]

@Chicken5555 Tagging as requested

 

[donrae]

Huh.

I'd have expected the Rock's chick to not have so much light color on the underside. My sex link chicks are pretty much darker overall. Going on that, I guess I'd say the top chick would be from the Rock, but no guarantees. Makes me second guess that, though. looking at that chick's legs...those are some thick legs!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

x2 with Donrae. Usually the black sex link is all black, but you can get some white on the chest.

The good news, it doesn't appear that either chick has a white head dot, so there are no male black sexlinks as nobody has barring.

Bad news is that the Australorp will produce a black chick with no head dot for either gender....and a tuxedo appearance.

Since you used a Speckled Sussex rooster, it could be giving some other color base bleed through for the white shirt of the tuxedo, so they could both be Australorp mixes.

My thoughts.

LofMc

 

[drumstick diva]

agree

 

[lpyrbby]

Thanks guys!

I just don't see how it's possible for me to have collected two Australorp eggs the same day. I check the nest boxes each morning (especially at that time as I had a nest box sleeper so I had to clean out the box she was in) and my husband collects in the afternoons. I check one more time when I go to close up the coop in the evening, forcing any sleepers to stand up enough for me to peek in.

Anywho, it's only fair to show the week 5 and 6 pics.

Subject 1

@ 5 weeks


@ 6 weeks


Subject 2

@ 5 weeks



@ 6 weeks

 

[lpyrbby]

Everything about behavior suggests Subject 1 (Meow) is a cockerel too. A bonafide sassy @$$ brat lol.

Boop (Subject 1), on the other hand, is my FAVORITE. I love that friendly creature. But, I'm still not out of the woods yet, as Daddy Ringo hid out as a pullet for quite a while and still didn't show good hackle/saddle feathers until well after I *knew* he was a he and not a she like so many others thought. Not uncommon with SS, as far as I've heard. He also had a large amount of white on his chest which also tends to be a thing within the breed to help identify cockerels early. So, that does make me worried with some of the white I'm seeing in their chests right now.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

With mixes, I go by comb as any color patterning is so altered by the mixed genetics.

Subject 1 is a rooster. Huge reddening comb at 6 weeks. Rooster all the way.

Subject 2 is likely a pullet, and shows definite Speckled Sussex influence, but I agree watch and wait on that one.

I'm not sure how speckling would influence base color, although I should have thought black base would have dominated any speckling...but...it could be you have 1 Australorp mix and 1 BSL but the speckling from dad attached to the base black throwing off the BSL chick appearance into more of a tuxedo appearance (though forecasting speckling) which of course mimics the Australorp chick appearance.

That's the problem with mixes, you can get surprises.

Cute chicks. Fun project. I always enjoy my backyard breeding surprises.

LofMc

 

[KiwiPomegranate]

Subject 1 is a rooster

Subject 2 is likely a pullet, and shows definite Speckled Sussex influence

I'm not sure how speckling would influence base color....it could be you have 1 Australorp mix and 1 BSL but the speckling from dad attached to the base black throwing off the BSL appearance into more of a tuxedo appearance (though forecasting speckling) which of course mimics the Australorp chick appearance.

That's the problem with mixes, you can get surprises.

Cute chicks. Fun project. I always enjoy my backyard breeding surprises.

LofMc

I'm not sure that Subject 1 is a cock... If he/she was, they would already have sickles, her/his feathers do not look like sickles.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm not sure that Subject 1 is a cock... If he/she was, they would already have sickles, her/his feathers do not look like sickles.

Not at 6 weeks of age....roosters don't develop saddle and sickles until much older. Some not until nearly sexually mature. You generally begin to see signs by 12 to 14 weeks, but often not until 20 weeks.

I edited my post to indicate better what I was judging my decision upon...with mixed breeds it is comb size. The hybrids generally develop pretty fast, and the comb is the first indicator. The males almost always sprout bigger, redder combs faster...generally telecasting by 4 to 6 weeks.

LofMc