Cuckoos??

[Pack Mom]

Sorry if I'm repeating a thread or topic but I searched everything and can't find the answer. Here is my question; what makes a chicken a cuckoo? I just got 3 lemon cuckoo orpington hens, 1 has very visible bars the other two are barely noticeable. As I started to search info on cuckoo I noticed several breeds also have cuckoos varieties and don't know what makes some cuckoos and others not cuckoos.Dorothy

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll make a guess, mainly to give you a bump. Hopefully someone that really knows what "cuckoo" means will chime in.

There are fast feathering and slow feathering genes. These control how fast the feathers grow. They are the ones that allow you to feather sex chicks if the parentage is set up right.

If the chick is barred and has the slow feathering gene, the barring will come in nice and crisp. That's what you are looking for with Barred Rock.

If the chick is barred and has the fast feathering gene, that barring will not be nice aqnd crisp but will be scattered. I think this scattered pattern for the barring is what is referred to as cuckoo. Remember, this is just a guess.