Cream Legbar crosses - help to identify and sex my brood?!

[zoezest]

Hi there. I am loving my little brood of 5 legbar crosses but at 13 weeks old now I am still struggling to identify genders and which genetic mixes I have. Rooster was Cream Legbar for all 5 but there were 4 possible mother hens (Bluebelle, Cuckoo Maran, Buff Sussex, Black Rock). Do I have 3 boys and 2 girls? Or is the cross-breeding making usual indicators confusing? Any thoughts welcomed. Thanks

Roo?


Roos?


Girls I'm pretty sure.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Nice mixed flock! I think you're assessment looks pretty accurate.

 

[zoezest]

Thanks. Yes they are lovely and colourful mixed bunch. I'm reluctant to get rid of any of them but I won't be able to keep 3 roos sadly. Just hanging onto them until we have something definite to go by. No crowing yet!

 

[junebuggena]

3 cockerels, 2 pullets.
Pullets don't start to turn red in the comb until they are almost ready to lay eggs.

 

[zoezest]

I suspect you are right. At first it looked like 3 girls an 2 boys as we had 2 little chipmunks and 2 black with white headspots but it does seem that one chipmunk is blossoming into a rather colourful handsome rooster. The 2 barred black were always suspected boys owing to their headspots and that they feathered up much more slowly.

I am wondering if they might not crow until later as they have been hand reared together all along?

 

[donrae]

I agree 3 cockerels and 2 pullets. I'd start looking for homes for the boys sooner rather than later, unless you have space to separate them.

 

[zoezest]

Ok. Thanks. I know it seems obvious from the pictures but my brother has just said to me this afternoon that he's not certain and that I should hang on longer to be sure. He feels that the cross breeding is confusing matters.

 

[junebuggena]

Cross breeding may make knowing exactly what the chicks will end up looking like a bit uncertain, it will not cause pullets to sprout male specific hackles and saddle feathers, which those boys are beginning to get.

 

[donrae]

I'm with gena. Cross breeding does not make pullets grow big combs at this young age. Nor does it give the darker red shading on the wings of the one bird, that's a male trait through and through. Here's a picture of a similar colored bird, of the female version. You can see the softer, more even pattern even though the basic colors are the same.....also note the lack of comb, even though the bird in this pic was several months old.

 

[zoezest]

Ok yes that makes sense. Maybe I will start looking for new homes for a coupe of them then