Coloration ?

[homesteadmama24]

Hatched 13 chicks last month and one developed cross beak at 2 weeks old. Im trying to figure out the coloration and problem solve potential parents for the genetics (as I’m reading it’s usually caused by that?)

So far it’s eating & drinking, I’m thinking maybe male with the black head & colors

Born yellow with black dots on the head

Thx for the help!

 

[NatJ]

Im trying to figure out the coloration and problem solve potential parents for the genetics

Do you have a large number of chickens, or just a few? If just a few, post a list with photos, and it might be easy to figure out. (Or it might not be easy, if you have many that could be parents.)

If you have a large number of chickens, maybe start by figuring out the rooster options.

Since the chick has gold (red/brown/gold/yellow colors), then the father must also have the gold gene. That means either he shows gold, or he shows silver (dominant gene) and carries gold, or he shows some other color like black or solid white that hides gold/silver.

The chick has clean feet, so the parents probably both have clean feet. It might have a parent with light foot feathering, but almost certainly not a parent with large amounts of feathering on the feet.

I can't decide on the colors in the photo: does the chick have blue in the feathers? Or is that just black with light shining on it? If the chick has blue, then at least one parent must have the blue gene (blue or splash present in the feathers, or else white covering up the blue or splash.)

 

[homesteadmama24]

Do you have a large number of chickens, or just a few? If just a few, post a list with photos, and it might be easy to figure out. (Or it might not be easy, if you have many that could be parents.)

If you have a large number of chickens, maybe start by figuring out the rooster options.

Since the chick has gold (red/brown/gold/yellow colors), then the father must also have the gold gene. That means either he shows gold, or he shows silver (dominant gene) and carries gold, or he shows some other color like black or solid white that hides gold/silver.

The chick has clean feet, so the parents probably both have clean feet. It might have a parent with light foot feathering, but almost certainly not a parent with large amounts of feathering on the feet.

I can't decide on the colors in the photo: does the chick have blue in the feathers? Or is that just black with light shining on it? If the chick has blue, then at least one parent must have the blue gene (blue or splash present in the feathers, or else white covering up the blue or splash.)

3 roosters are a Bielfelder & two blue Easter Eggers (unknown parents so that’s tough)

Many of the chicks have fluffy cheeks but this one doesn’t (not sure if all the Easter egger offspring will though?)

Hens are many breeds- speckled Sussex, silver laced wyandotte, black australorps, barred rocks, cuckoo Maran, light/dark brahmas, Easter eggers (one splash, one blue) , red stars & black stars, production red

Trying to figure out combs & leg colours to eliminate too

 

[homesteadmama24]

Hatched 13 chicks last month and one developed cross beak at 2 weeks old. Im trying to figure out the coloration and problem solve potential parents for the genetics (as I’m reading it’s usually caused by that?)

So far it’s eating & drinking, I’m thinking maybe male with the black head & colors

Born yellow with black dots on the head

Thx for the help!

Oh and I think it’s showing blue genes too, it’s so multicoloured

 

[NatJ]

Oh and I think it’s showing blue genes too, it’s so multicoloured

If it is showing blue, then it must have inherited the blue gene from one parent. So at least one parent should show blue or splash.

Many of the chicks have fluffy cheeks but this one doesn’t (not sure if all the Easter egger offspring will though?)

Some Easter Eggers will give fluffy cheeks (muff/beard) to all of their chicks.
Some other Easter Eggers will give that to only half of their chicks.
The muff/beard trait is dominant, so a chicken can show the trait while carrying the gene for clean face.

Looking at the photos, I thought the crossbeak chick did have a beard under the beak, but it's hard to be sure when the face is oddly shaped.

3 roosters are a Bielfelder & two blue Easter Eggers (unknown parents so that’s tough)

I think you can rule out the Bielefelder rooster, because all of his chicks would inherit white barring (and I do not see white barring on this chick.) If the chick has dark legs & feet, you should be able to rule out the Bielefelder rooster that way too, since Bielefelders are supposed to have yellow feet (light, not dark).

One of the EE roosters appears to have white barring as well, but it looks like he probably only has one barring gene. So he could produce barred chicks or not-barred chicks. I think he is a possible father, but not the most likely one.

I think the most likely father is the EE rooster that shows more red and no barring.

Trying to figure out combs & leg colours to eliminate too

Leg colors: it looks to me like the chick has white toes (not yellow), but the shanks might be dark (trying to be slate, but not really there yet.) If that is so, then an EE rooster with slate legs could provide all the necessary genes for a pullet to show those traits. For a cockerel, the mother would also need to have dark legs (slate/blue or willow/green).

But if the legs are light (not dark), and if the EE roosters have dark legs, then a light-leg chick would have to be male and have a light-legged mother.

For white vs. yellow skin, white is dominant. So one parent with white skin can produce a white skinned chick, and the other parent can have white or yellow skin.

For comb, I think I see a pea comb on the crossbeak chick, and also on both EE roosters. So the chick probably inherited the comb type from the father. I don't think you can rule out any hens based on comb type. Crossing the EE with single or pea combs could give a pea comb chick. Rose comb chickens often have the gene for single comb (not-rose) as well, so a rose comb hen could also be a possible mother.

Hens are many breeds- speckled Sussex, silver laced wyandotte, black australorps, barred rocks, cuckoo Maran, light/dark brahmas, Easter eggers (one splash, one blue) , red stars & black stars, production red

Any purebred chickens that are solid black, or black with white barring, can be eliminated as possible mothers. So that rules out the Black Australorps, the Barred Rocks, and the Cuckoo Marans.

Black Stars typically carry the genes to produce not-black chicks too, so they cannot be ruled out based on color.

Do you know yet whether the crossbeak chick is male or female? If it is male, you can rule out the Silver Laced Wyandottes and the Brahmas because any sons of theirs would show silver but this chick is obviously gold. If this chick is a female, then you can't rule them out that way.

You can probably rule out the Brahmas on the grounds of foot feathering, because the chick has clean feet and Brahma-mix chicks usually show some foot feathering.

That would leave possibilities of Speckled Sussex, Easter Eggers, Red Star, Black Star, Production Red, and maybe Silver Laced Wyandotte (only if crossbeak chick is female.)

At present, I can't think of any way to rule out more hens than that.

 

[homesteadmama24]

If it is showing blue, then it must have inherited the blue gene from one parent. So at least one parent should show blue or splash.


Some Easter Eggers will give fluffy cheeks (muff/beard) to all of their chicks.
Some other Easter Eggers will give that to only half of their chicks.
The muff/beard trait is dominant, so a chicken can show the trait while carrying the gene for clean face.

Looking at the photos, I thought the crossbeak chick did have a beard under the beak, but it's hard to be sure when the face is oddly shaped.



I think you can rule out the Bielefelder rooster, because all of his chicks would inherit white barring (and I do not see white barring on this chick.) If the chick has dark legs & feet, you should be able to rule out the Bielefelder rooster that way too, since Bielefelders are supposed to have yellow feet (light, not dark).

One of the EE roosters appears to have white barring as well, but it looks like he probably only has one barring gene. So he could produce barred chicks or not-barred chicks. I think he is a possible father, but not the most likely one.

I think the most likely father is the EE rooster that shows more red and no barring.



Leg colors: it looks to me like the chick has white toes (not yellow), but the shanks might be dark (trying to be slate, but not really there yet.) If that is so, then an EE rooster with slate legs could provide all the necessary genes for a pullet to show those traits. For a cockerel, the mother would also need to have dark legs (slate/blue or willow/green).

But if the legs are light (not dark), and if the EE roosters have dark legs, then a light-leg chick would have to be male and have a light-legged mother.

For white vs. yellow skin, white is dominant. So one parent with white skin can produce a white skinned chick, and the other parent can have white or yellow skin.

For comb, I think I see a pea comb on the crossbeak chick, and also on both EE roosters. So the chick probably inherited the comb type from the father. I don't think you can rule out any hens based on comb type. Crossing the EE with single or pea combs could give a pea comb chick. Rose comb chickens often have the gene for single comb (not-rose) as well, so a rose comb hen could also be a possible mother.



Any purebred chickens that are solid black, or black with white barring, can be eliminated as possible mothers. So that rules out the Black Australorps, the Barred Rocks, and the Cuckoo Marans.

Black Stars typically carry the genes to produce not-black chicks too, so they cannot be ruled out based on color.

Do you know yet whether the crossbeak chick is male or female? If it is male, you can rule out the Silver Laced Wyandottes and the Brahmas because any sons of theirs would show silver but this chick is obviously gold. If this chick is a female, then you can't rule them out that way.

You can probably rule out the Brahmas on the grounds of foot feathering, because the chick has clean feet and Brahma-mix chicks usually show some foot feathering.

That would leave possibilities of Speckled Sussex, Easter Eggers, Red Star, Black Star, Production Red, and maybe Silver Laced Wyandotte (only if crossbeak chick is female.)

At present, I can't think of any way to rule out more hens than that.

This is such an in-depth response thank you! I will check leg colours and some of those details you brought up (& save this valuable info for further genetic fun)

I believe one of the ee roos has dark legs the other light so I will check that tomorrow etc

I don't know yet if cross beak is male or female, it's smaller than the rest now but the colours has me perplexed & thinking male but very early to tell

 

[homesteadmama24]

Crossbeak week 6
Hard to see in the red light but legs are pale & slightly pink

This is a photo of the other rooster that has pink legs. No experience on leg colour/passing down genetics (also I think this rooster might have 1 barred gene? So chance of passing it down )

 

[NatJ]

Crossbeak week 6
Hard to see in the red light but legs are pale & slightly pink

This is a photo of the other rooster that has pink legs. No experience on leg colour/passing down genetics

There are two main genes that control leg color.

Light vs. dark skin is controlled by a gene on the Z sex chromosome.
White vs. yellow skin is controlled by a different gene, that is not on a sex chromosome.

light + white = white
light + yellow = yellow
dark + white = slate (blue)
dark + yellow = willow (green)

Chickens that have all black feathers will usually have dark or black legs too, regardless of what skin color genes they have. The soles of their feet will usually show white or yellow.

Chickens that would be all black but are diluted by the blue gene, or have the barring gene, will have lighter shanks than an all-black chicken. It might be hard to tell what color they are "supposed" to have. The soles of their feet should still show white or yellow soles.

Chicks can change leg color within the first few weeks, but I think yours is probably old enough that it will have stopped changing. It's looking like "white" legs (light, white).

White skin is dominant over yellow skin. So to show white, the chick must inherit white from at least one parent. That could be the rooster in the photo, or it could be any rooster or hen that has white skin (shanks could be white or slate, or black with some plumage colors, but the soles of the feet should be white.) If one parent has white skin, the other parent could have white or yellow skin.

Light skin is dominant over dark skin. But because this is on the Z sex chromosome, it inherits a little differenty. A cockerel inherits one Z sex chromosome from each parent, giving him a total of two. He could inherit light skin from either parent. A pullet inherits one Z sex chromosome from her father, and a W chromosome from her mother, giving her the ZW chromosomes that make her female.

So if the chick is female, the light legs must be inherited from the father.
If the chick is a male, the light legs could be inherited from either parent. So you would be looking for at least one light-legged parent (although something like a Black Sexlink could have dark legs because of the genes causing the black feathering, even if she has the gene for "light" skin.)

(also I think this rooster might have 1 barred gene? So chance of passing it down )

If the rooster has one gene for barring, he would give barring to some chicks and not-barring to some other chicks. So he could produce chicks with or without barring.