Breeding question

[Andersher]

I have a Splash and a blue Ameraucana rooster. If I put Cuckoo Marans and Blue Cuckoo Marans in with them, will I get sex linked chicks? What colors could I expect?

 

[Rose the Legbar]

@NatJ

 

[NatJ]

I have a Splash and a blue Ameraucana rooster. If I put Cuckoo Marans and Blue Cuckoo Marans in with them, will I get sex linked chicks? What colors could I expect?

Yes, you should get sex-linked chicks.
A hen with white barring (that includes Cuckoo) and a rooster with no white barring will produce sons with white barring (light dot on top of their head at hatch) and daughters with no white barring (no light dot on top of their head at hatch.)

Blue rooster with Cuckoo Marans hens will produce black chicks and blue chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without. The black ones will be easiest to sex, because the light dot on the head and the white bars on their feathers will be very obvious on black. Blue ones can typically be sexed this way as well, but it's not as easy.)

Splash rooster with Cuckoo Marans hens will produce blue chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without.)

Splash rooster with Blue Cuckoo Marans hens will produce some blue chicks and some splash chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without, but you may not be able to see which of the splash chicks have barring vs. no barring.)

Blue rooster with Blue Cuckoo Marans hens will produce about 1/4 black chicks, 1/2 blue chicks, 1/4 splash chicks. Sons will have white barring and daughters will not. The black ones will be easy to sex, the blue ones probably possible, and the splash ones may be difficult or impossible to sex because the light down will make it hard to see the light dot on the males' heads and the white barring in the males' feathers.

If you set up two breeding pens, you could put the splash rooster with the black hens, and the blue rooster with the blue hens. That would give you large numbers of blue chicks (all of one pen and half of the other), with some black chicks and some splash chicks in the blue x blue pen. Or you could have them all mixed up in one pen, but that will give you more splash chicks (the hardest ones to sex.)

 

[Andersher]

Yes, you should get sex-linked chicks.
A hen with white barring (that includes Cuckoo) and a rooster with no white barring will produce sons with white barring (light dot on top of their head at hatch) and daughters with no white barring (no light dot on top of their head at hatch.)

Blue rooster with Cuckoo Marans hens will produce black chicks and blue chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without. The black ones will be easiest to sex, because the light dot on the head and the white bars on their feathers will be very obvious on black. Blue ones can typically be sexed this way as well, but it's not as easy.)

Splash rooster with Cuckoo Marans hens will produce blue chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without.)

Splash rooster with Blue Cuckoo Marans hens will produce some blue chicks and some splash chicks (sons with white barring and daughters without, but you may not be able to see which of the splash chicks have barring vs. no barring.)

Blue rooster with Blue Cuckoo Marans hens will produce about 1/4 black chicks, 1/2 blue chicks, 1/4 splash chicks. Sons will have white barring and daughters will not. The black ones will be easy to sex, the blue ones probably possible, and the splash ones may be difficult or impossible to sex because the light down will make it hard to see the light dot on the males' heads and the white barring in the males' feathers.

If you set up two breeding pens, you could put the splash rooster with the black hens, and the blue rooster with the blue hens. That would give you large numbers of blue chicks (all of one pen and half of the other), with some black chicks and some splash chicks in the blue x blue pen. Or you could have them all mixed up in one pen, but that will give you more splash chicks (the hardest ones to sex.)

Thank you for the detailed answer! I appreciate it.