Cream Legbar x with Barnevelder

[OakR]

Hello

We have these two chicks that are a cross between a very young LF Cream Legbar and a Bantam Barnevelder. He would have fertilised the eggs at around 12-13 weeks, much before I had expected him to be mature.

Anyway, these are the two chicks, both hatched by the Barnvelder and then brought home on their own as it's going to be winter. The one on the right hatched 3-4 days after the other. Whilst it is obviously slightly behind in development, the feather difference is quite striking for just a few days and the other was much more developed a few days ago. Both very active etc.

Is it possible they will take on different characteristics from the parents or should they end up looking similar (if both cockerels or both pullets - though sadly I think they may both be cockerels), or is it just wait and see? They just look like totally different breeds right now.

The one on the right is 2 weeks old today. I only had two mature hens, and one of them was broody so I think it could only be this match. There was also a 12-13 week old Orpington but I am sure he is not mature even now and is now crowing still or attempting to mount the hens.

Thank you.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Do you know how fast your Barnevelder hen feathered in as a chick? I'm inclined to think they're a slow feathering breed because of the intricacy of their pattern, but not sure if that's actually the case.

If she was slow to feather in, then you would have created sexlinks with the cross. Legbars are fast featherers generally speaking, feathering in more at the rate of the chick on the left in your picture, and crossing a fast feathering male to a slow feathering female produces feather speed sexlinks where the male offspring are slow to feather and the female offspring are fast to feather.

However, if you don't know how fast the mother feathered in, then I would definitely wait to be sure on their sexes. Sometimes chicks feather at different rates for a variety of reasons, even within the same breed or cross, so it could just be one of those things. I'd just keep an eye out on the slow to feather one to make sure that he's keeping up otherwise.

 

[OakR]

Thank you @pipdzipdnreadytogo . I bought the Barnevelder as a pullet so not sure on how quickly she feathered up.

When they were born the one on the left hand the classic chipmunk stripe down the back and the one in the right was much lighter and less defined, but as a cross I wasn't sure if it meant anything vs if they were just Cream Legbars.

I guess we will wait and see what happens.

 

[OakR]

I'll keep posting a phot a week, each Friday, if I can. The small one is 3 weeks now, the other 3-4 days older.

The small one looks like it will be a cockerel as the comb is growing quite quickly and has a pink tinge already. It also had smaller wing feathers and no tail feathers.

The other I still don't know but has feathered up much faster, has some tail feathers and less comb. It does look more like the Barnevelder though which is the bantam.

They do look like different breeds. I'm wondering if the small one might end up bantam sized and the other one I hope might be a pullet might end up LF or bigger than bantam ayway.

 

[OakR]

One more week, so 4 weeks and 4.5 weeks old.

The small one is definitely a cockerel, large comb going pink, wattles already starting to show.

Not sure on the larger one, I guess it's still early really. They do appear to have picked up different traits, and the larger one which to me seem to have more of a Barnevelder feathering at this stage, is also starting to develop a crest I think.

I will post again in a week, hopefully helpful for anyone else to look back on.

Still quite a size difference between them, but both seem active and are eating and drinking well.

 

[NatJ]

One more week, so 4 weeks and 4.5 weeks old....I will post again in a week, hopefully helpful for anyone else to look back on.

I don't have anything useful to say about them right now, but just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying the progression of pictures as they grow

 

[JedJackson]

It's still early, but my bet is that you have one of each. The larger one has a very even color pattern which is a good sign that you have a pullet.

 

[OakR]

Thanks @NatJ - quite a few more weeks to go, though they will go outside in the not too distant future (a bit longer than would be normal with it being winter I guess).

Thanks also @JedJackson - that's what I am hoping for. Time will tell but am keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[OakR]

Here we go. 5 and 5.5 weeks old now. One looks pretty well feathered up, but the definite cockerel still has a way to go still. He's still quite a bit smaller, though I guess some of that seems more as the other has more feathers.

I will post again next Friday.

 

[OakR]

The cockerel is now up to 6 weeks, not quite fully feathered yet.

The other one is 6.5 weeks now and looks pretty much feathered. Does anyone have any views on pullet or cockerel now we are at 6 weeks - I realise possibly still too early.

Thank you!