Gender guesses a little over 2wk old barred rocks (i realize its a little early)

[Hedgeland Farms]

I think @fluffycrow was probably talking about yellow vs. white, not about whether they have some black on the legs as well.

Some chickens have yellow-based foot color, and some have white-based foot color. Cuckoo Marans are an example of white-based foot color on a chicken that otherwise looks like a Barred Rock (black feathers, white barring, single comb, dual-purpose body type.)

My guesses would be:
#1, male because of the amount of white in the feathers, but the comb does not look right for a Barred Rock. I think it looks more like a pea comb (common in Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers.) So I would wonder if the person who produced the eggs might also have Olive Eggers, and you maybe got an accidental mix.

#2, male because of the amount of white in the feathers, looks like it could be a Barred Rock.

#3 has much less white in the feathers, so either female Barred Rock, or could be a mixed-breed of either gender (the darker coloring can show up in males if they have just one barred parent instead of both.) This comb looks a bit wide too, so again I'm wondering if it was mixed with an Olive Egger.

Combs in young chicks can be confusing, so it's hard to tell if they will grow up to be perfectly normal Barred Rocks with single combs and they are just looking odd in the pictures now. Or whether they will grow up to have combs that are obviously not single, in which case they could not be Barred Rocks.

Thanks for explaining...
The first birds comb is weird ...but it is single and straight...
It's like it's missing the front part...

I'll check foot color when I get home from work....

I really appreciate everyone's help

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

For what it’s worth, with the exception of the combs looking a bit different.. maybe wide on the first bird they look like barred rocks to me. Mine are hatchery birds but I don’t see a difference enough between mine and yours to say they aren’t BRs. I do think 1 and 2 are cockerels. Pics of my brs as week olds and now (both pullets)

Lovely birds!!!! I love me some BRs

 

[Chipmunk Chicks]

but the comb does not look right for a Barred Rock. I think it looks more like a pea comb (common in Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers.) So I would wonder if the person who produced the eggs might also have Olive Eggers, and you maybe got an accidental mix.

This was the thought I had for #1 as well. I would def agree with @NatJ on this assessment.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

I'll try to get a close up pick of them comb later!! Thanks so much

 

[BastyPutt]

Wooha! Looks like we have a party here and I am late!

OP thank you for sharing your birds! And looks like getting some fine knowledge from my friends here!

I'm going to say aside from everything, the interesting comb on the little one is going to tell us that at some point, this breeder introduced something else.

If not, and it is essentially a defect of some kind, then there are a few other things here:

Leg color - leg color genes are difficult, because they arent as straight forward as a "color gene" for instance. Leg color can be influenced by a lot of other genes. I was reading an article the other day written by a prolific ameraucana breeder, and he has resorted to doubling his projected yield on a hatch in anticipation of culling the chickens with the wrong colored legs, because it is something that just can't be bred out. This is probably why you don't see birds sexlinked off leg color, it is too unpredictable.

However, in the case of the barred rock, even hatchery quality, this is too much black in the legs. This isn't a "wash" it is a deep pigment. In other words, these birds will have black legs their entire life. A little black "dusting" on a chick will usually disappear as they age.

Lastly, the barring is out of hand on the second chick. The top of the neck is entirely white. I don't believe this is necessarily because it is a cockerel, but again, just the introduction of something else along the lines.

We breed Polish here, and have become addicted to making them look as a Polish should. If your goal is to breed really solid, pure BR's, you need to avoid hatcheries entirely and start with a really good parental stock. Hatcheries a cranking out chicks with minimal breed standards, and as they should. Producing show birds isn't profitable. Find Someone who really knows what they are doing. A little bit of research will get you there. You can also order the Standsrd of Perfection book from the APA on the breed, and this will tell you exactly what to look for in good breeding stock.

 

[NatJ]

I bought these hatching eggs to have roosters to cover my girls for our dual purpose birds

If you are trying to breed good Barred Rocks, these chicks may not be the best choice.

If you want a mixed-breed flock of dual purpose chickens, watch how these chicks grow and decide whether they have the traits you want. Even if they are not good Barred Rocks, they may still be a good choice for your flock, or they may not be. Watching their actual growth and behavior, and how fast they mature, and feeling how meaty they are at what age, will tell you a lot more than any of us here on the internet guessing from a few chick photos

 

[fluffycrow]

If you are trying to breed good Barred Rocks, these chicks may not be the best choice.

If you want a mixed-breed flock of dual purpose chickens, watch how these chicks grow and decide whether they have the traits you want. Even if they are not good Barred Rocks, they may still be a good choice for your flock, or they may not be. Watching their actual growth and behavior, and how fast they mature, and feeling how meaty they are at what age, will tell you a lot more than any of us here on the internet guessing from a few chick photos

This! Absolutely all of this!

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

If you are trying to breed good Barred Rocks, these chicks may not be the best choice.

If you want a mixed-breed flock of dual purpose chickens, watch how these chicks grow and decide whether they have the traits you want. Even if they are not good Barred Rocks, they may still be a good choice for your flock, or they may not be. Watching their actual growth and behavior, and how fast they mature, and feeling how meaty they are at what age, will tell you a lot more than any of us here on the internet guessing from a few chick photos

I did not want a mixed breed pen, (I have one lol) but I don't care abt hatchery quality as long as they grow well and lay well.

Plans are to improve stock as I have a Barred Rock Cockerel (yellow legs and all) from another source. I want to be able to sell hatched chicks as Barred Rocks. It's why I am kinda like...ugh guys don't tell me what you're telling me...however, I wasn't even gonna start that till I have an improved flock. I am not looking for SOP, just a nice looking flock of, i guess, "wanna-bes," lol easily sexable chicks, dual purpose


I am define gonna see how these ones grow and make my decisions from there....

For anyone interested... legs and comb pics...

Bird 1 (weird comb baby)

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Bird 2 (likely a cockerel)

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

Bird 3 (likely a pullet)