Can a non legbar chick look exactly like a legbar?

[WhiteWaterChickens]

Hello!
I have crested cream legbars. I have an Opal roo over Opal hens & Cream hens. BUT I also have 1/2 CCL hens in there also (they are barred as they were sired by a CCL Roo x Amercauna hen) I had 3 chicks hatch like this. (Pictures attached)
I’ve hatched many 1/2 legbars over the last couple years and they never look exactly like a pure legbar. Could these be female legbars?
I’m not so concerned with them being pure as I am with them being female as someone wants two as a gift for her daughter and cannot have males and I don’t want any hearts broken. Please help! She can’t source any other female chicks near her.
This is each chick from side then top. Has anyone ever had a male chick that is either 3/4 or 1/2 legbar look like this?

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

i’m not great at genetics, but there are certain mixes that can look very similar to pure breeds.

 

[DavidReaves]

How did these chicks grow out? I have 15 mixed Cream Legbar and Rhode Island Red chicks. I have 4 that hatched out of blue eggs, so they are potentially full Cream Legbar. They have the chipmunk pattern and eye bands. Of course, about half the others also have stripes. At day 10 they are all sorts of patterns with wing colors. Chest feathers haven't started growing in yet.

 

[NatJ]

How did these chicks grow out? I have 15 mixed Cream Legbar and Rhode Island Red chicks. I have 4 that hatched out of blue eggs, so they are potentially full Cream Legbar. They have the chipmunk pattern and eye bands. Of course, about half the others also have stripes. At day 10 they are all sorts of patterns with wing colors. Chest feathers haven't started growing in yet.

Do any of your "Rhode Island Reds" have white tails?

I'm a bit puzzled by the chicks with red & cream stripes, lots of white in their wing feathers, and no black at all. I would not expect that color from any cross of the breeds you mentioned.

 

[DavidReaves]

The birds may be "barnyard mix" but there were two roosters, a RIR and a CL. I had 4 blue eggs that hatched whose mamas are supposed to be pure Cream Legbar. The rest were brown eggs that were all supposed to be Rhode Island Red. I suppose either the RIR rooster or some of the hens may have been mixed.

There are a few different patterns. There are two that are dark, chipmunk stripe with eye bands. They both hatched from blue eggs. There are two other partial chipmunk patterns, lighter, that also hatched from blue eggs. None of the chicks from blue eggs appear to have a head spot.

There are quite a few partial chipmunk patterns, with brown and white striped wings that hatched from brown eggs. There are also some mostly solid orange chicks with brown and white wings from brown eggs. There are a couple of solid orange/yellow with predominately white wings from brown eggs. Then there's the one with the reverse chipmunk pattern (the white stripe) that has orange and white wings with the same tail.

Maybe the origins will be clearer as they get bigger.

 

[NatJ]

Maybe the origins will be clearer as they get bigger.

That might be.

The birds may be "barnyard mix" but there were two roosters, a RIR and a CL. I had 4 blue eggs that hatched whose mamas are supposed to be pure Cream Legbar. The rest were brown eggs that were all supposed to be Rhode Island Red. I suppose either the RIR rooster or some of the hens may have been mixed.

There are a few different patterns. There are two that are dark, chipmunk stripe with eye bands. They both hatched from blue eggs. There are two other partial chipmunk patterns, lighter, that also hatched from blue eggs. None of the chicks from blue eggs appear to have a head spot.

There are quite a few partial chipmunk patterns, with brown and white striped wings that hatched from brown eggs. There are also some mostly solid orange chicks with brown and white wings from brown eggs. There are a couple of solid orange/yellow with predominately white wings from brown eggs. Then there's the one with the reverse chipmunk pattern (the white stripe) that has orange and white wings with the same tail.

Maybe the origins will be clearer as they get bigger.

Hmm, that is puzzling.

That many colors of chicks "should" not come from just pure Rhode Island Red and Cream Legbar.

I have seen some people with "Rhode Island Reds" that were actually red sexlinks (visual difference: white in the tail and wing feathers.) If the flock has some of those, that could account for the chicks that have red-and-white but no black.

For the chicks from blue eggs, if the mothers really are Cream Legbars, because that would be a sexlinked cross (headspot males, no headspot females.) Of course, if those mothers are actually something else, you might get some gender surprises there too.

 

[DavidReaves]

Counting the chick colors is easier when they are separated. I put them in different areas as I caught them when I cleaned the brooder today.

The predominate type is a mostly solid, with dark wings. There are 7 of those. A couple have a dark spot on their head, but I didn't really see that as a chipmunk pattern. They might still be fertilized by the Cream Legbar rooster, so maybe olive eggers.

Next are the partial chipmunk pattern. One of these hatched from a blue egg, I think it was the one on the left. The blue egger is almost certainly going to be an olive egger (if a pullet). Possibly the other two will be olive-eggers, from brown egg moms but fertilized by the Cream Legbar rooster.

Next are the chipmunk patterns from the blue eggs. These are all just a bit smaller, but seem to be doing okay. IF I have any pure Cream Legbar, I would guess these are it. These all have a fairly strong chipmunk pattern and eye bars, so if they are pure CL they are likely pullets.

Finally, there are the two oddballs. One has a reverse partial chipmunk pattern, with a white stripe and orange and white wings. I think it even has white eye bars. The other appears to be solid yellow/orange but has light feathers. They were both from brown eggs.

@Iluveggers

 

[NatJ]

The predominate type is a mostly solid, with dark wings. There are 7 of those. A couple have a dark spot on their head, but I didn't really see that as a chipmunk pattern. They might still be fertilized by the Cream Legbar rooster, so maybe olive eggers.

If they have a Cream Legbar father, they should have white barring in the wings as they grow (both genders.) I see white in the wings, but I cannot tell if it is barring, because some chicks get some rather flashy patterns in their first feathers, and change to something more solid-looking as they grow older. (Like how baby deer have white spots, and adult deer do not-- I assume it is camouflage for baby chicks, too.)

Next are the partial chipmunk pattern. One of these hatched from a blue egg, I think it was the one on the left. The blue egger is almost certainly going to be an olive egger (if a pullet). Possibly the other two will be olive-eggers, from brown egg moms but fertilized by the Cream Legbar rooster.

I agree that these are likely Legbar-mix chicks.

Next are the chipmunk patterns from the blue eggs. These are all just a bit smaller, but seem to be doing okay. IF I have any pure Cream Legbar, I would guess these are it. These all have a fairly strong chipmunk pattern and eye bars, so if they are pure CL they are likely pullets.

That sounds right to me, too.

Finally, there are the two oddballs. One has a reverse partial chipmunk pattern, with a white stripe and orange and white wings. I think it even has white eye bars.

I have seen that coloring on chicks that have Dominant White and the chipmunk pattern. Dominant White turns the black to white, but leaves the red/brown/gold shades mostly alone.

Your oddballs are the ones that have me thinking there is some other breed in the mix-- maybe just one of the "Rhode Island Red" hens, given how many of which color chicks you have.

The other appears to be solid yellow/orange but has light feathers. They were both from brown eggs.

Hmm, yes I do see those differences now that you point them out.
Maybe the pale-striped one comes from a mystery mother with the Cream Legbar father, and the pale-solid one has the same mystery mother but a Rhode Island Red father. That might cause chicks of those colors.

Knowing they both came from brown eggs rules out anything weird with the Cream Legbar hens.

Counting the chick colors is easier when they are separated. I put them in different areas as I caught them when I cleaned the brooder today.

Good idea, and nice photos! I don't know all the answers, but I am definitely enjoying the pictures, and looking forward to seeing how they grow up!

 

[Iluveggers]

Interesting when you separated them @DavidReaves

I think all very light chicks are probably boys. Try banding each color group, & see if they all grow up to be the same gender! Keep notes for your next hatch.

I think a CCL hen & RIR rooster sould give sex-linked offspring in theory, but since they were all mixed there’s no way to tell which is which. After a quick google search, I found these crosses pictures in case you are interested.

http://windywhiskerspoultry.com/fiesta-red/

 

[NatJ]

I think all very light chicks are probably boys.

What genes would be causing that?

I think a CCL hen & RIR rooster sould give sex-linked offspring in theory

I agree, because that would be a barred mother and a not-barred father, producing barred sons and not-barred daughters.

but since they were all mixed there’s no way to tell which is which.

Any chick that hatched from a blue egg, and has no white barring, would have to be female.
But if it's not clear which chick came from what color egg, then I agree there is no useful way to sort them out.