Can 2 clean legged birds produce feathered legs?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I agree that he certainly did not get the silver gene from a Red Orpington, but he might have gotten it from the Rhode Island Blue. Many black chickens, and at least some blue ones, do have the silver gene (the rest have gold, or gold & silver for some males.)

@Fluster Cluck Acres do you have a picture of the Rhode Island Blue that was a parent of Charcoal?



What comb type does Penguin have? Does Penguin show any silver or gold color? Those details can help check whether Penguin really does have the parents you think he does.

Penguin has a straight comb- like both parents. It was storming when I realized I didn’t have a good pic of him, so I’ll get some tomorrow. Right now he just appears to be solid black, but based on what some of Charcoals other offspring have looked like, I wouldn’t be surprised if he develops red leakage.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I ordered 4 Bielefelder pullet chicks from Mt Healthy. Biels are clean legged (what I want), but one of them has tiny, downy, little feathers in between her toes.
View attachment 3632125

Interesting. I bought Bielfelders from TSC a few weeks ago and one has a crest, lol.

 

[Chicalina]

Just wanted to jump on and say how beautiful Velma is! I had a splash red laced Wyandotte who just looked like dirty white with red lacing, but this dark blue is stunning.

Also, I know not your question, but on the genetics of feather legs, I hatched many silkie crosses and most of them came out clean legged, despite people telling me that feather legs were dominant.

 

[NatJ]

Charcoal’s mother does have silver leakage. She is in the bottom left of this image. You can see it on the front of her neck.
View attachment 3632262
@NatJ I made this post about her back in December and it has better pics. I purchased her and a Blue Rock (Sapphire Gem) and didn’t know which was which. It was explained in the comments that she is the RIB because silver leakage can come from the RIR.

Yes, Charcoal would definitely have gotten the silver gene from his mother.

As for silver leakage coming from the Rhode Island Red-- that would be sort of true, sort of false. The Rhode Island Red would give the genes that let there be some kind of leakage. The color of the leakage (silver) would have to come from the other parent (Australorp).

With that set of breeds, the direction of the cross matters: the hen's leakage will be gold if her father is gold (Rhode Island Red), but the hen's leakage will be silver if her father is silver (which would be the Australorp in this case, even though their black feathers make it impossible to see.) So if she has silver leakage, it means her father must have been the Australorp and her mother must have been the Rhode Island Red.

My chick is just a mix so the only issue with feathered feet is that I simply don’t care for them, lol. But since he’s probably a he, he’ll likely be a freezer camp candidate. Even if I had space for another roo,‘I’m not doing feathered legs. I can barely tolerate it on my Marans, haha!

That sounds like the way I think too I don't care for feathered feet either, but I would agree that feathered feet aren't really a problem on a bird bound for freezer camp.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Just wanted to jump on and say how beautiful Velma is! I had a splash red laced Wyandotte who just looked like dirty white with red lacing, but this dark blue is stunning.

Also, I know not your question, but on the genetics of feather legs, I hatched many silkie crosses and most of them came out clean legged, despite people telling me that feather legs were dominant.

That’s funny because I actually wanted a splash laced. They look so beautiful online. I guess each one is a little different.

Velma does have great coloring, but unfortunately that’s her only good quality. She’s almost perpetually broody, and even broody jail doesn’t work for her. She hates chicks and won’t raise them, so she’s basically a glorified incubator (and not all that reliable either). She’s a bully to young chickens, and when she’s broody-ish she’s a B to most all the hens. And now she makes feather-legged babies, which I don’t want, lol.

So if you want her and you’re near Maryland, you’re welcome to her!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

As for silver leakage coming from the Rhode Island Red-- that would be sort of true, sort of false. The Rhode Island Red would give the genes that let there be some kind of leakage. The color of the leakage (silver) would have to come from the other parent (Australorp).

With that set of breeds, the direction of the cross matters: the hen's leakage will be gold if her father is gold (Rhode Island Red), but the hen's leakage will be silver if her father is silver (which would be the Australorp in this case, even though their black feathers make it impossible to see.) So if she has silver leakage, it means her father must have been the Australorp and her mother must have been the Rhode Island Red.

All of this blows my mind! Thanks for sharing that. I am constantly amazed by chicken genetics and am having so much fun hatching eggs. Please be sure to jump on the next thread I’m going to start about my black-combed chicks. Because not only did I hatch a feather-legged chick in a clean-legged flock, but I also have a pullet & chicks with black combs… in an all red-comb flock. . But I’ll start a new thread with pics. But I’d love to hear your insight on that one, too!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Interesting. I bought Bielfelders from TSC a few weeks ago and one has a crest, lol.

Bielfelders don't have crests.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Bielfelders don't have crests.

I’m aware. Hence the lol.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Here are some more pics for anyone who is still interested.

The first pics are full body shots of Penguin, the chick I originally posted about. Then I have a few pics of Penguin next to his full sister (presumed female), Veronica Vaughn. As I was taking the pics I took a closer look at Veronica’s legs and sure enough I found 1 stray leg feather .

Feel free to also chime in if you think I’m correct or incorrect in my judgement regarding gender. Penguin has a larger comb and already has wattles. His posture is really upright and his legs & toes are wider, too.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Here are some more pics for anyone who is still interested.

The first pics are full body shots of Penguin, the chick I originally posted about. Then I have a few pics of Penguin next to his full sister (presumed female), Veronica Vaughn. As I was taking the pics I took a closer look at Veronica’s legs and sure enough I found 1 stray leg feather .

Looks like it's just a fault. It shows up occasionally on some of my birds that come from clean legged parents