Gender specific color

[hunthrail]

I'm fairly new to the world of chicken genetics.Dog genetics, I could talk in circles about, but chickens are a whole different ball park.

The big thing I'm confused on, is when I see posts asking about gender(for EE/OE) and someone responds with " female/male specific color" .

I understand there are some auto sexing breeds when it comes to color and roos will develop colors in places specific to males. I'm specifically asking in regards OE/EEs (all over color /pattern)because that's where I've seen the response most. Obviously OE/EEs are mixed , so genetically we dont always know whats going on, but if the OE/EE in question wasn't made using a auto sexing breed, how do you determine what is a gender specific color ?

My own EE I was told had a "female specific color" but I was also told because she's a EE there's no set color to call her (Ive been told this about other my EE also). So her color doesn't have a name...but it's a gender specific color.... this is where my confusion starts.

Also, is there any forum depicting what colors are female/male specific for OE/EE ? Or is anyone has examples I'd very much appreciate it.

* I'm so sorry if this post is confusing or it's a stupid question, I'm not very awake while typing this and it was on my mind basically all night

 

[Auntiejessi3]

female/male specific color" .

Some patterns are female specific, like your bird for example has a nice even pattern (female), males tend to have splotchy coloring, or red splotches on the shoulders and wings (male specific)

 

[hunthrail]

Some patterns are female specific, like your bird for example has a nice even pattern (female), males tend to have splotchy coloring, or red splotches on the shoulders and wings (male specific)

Ok , so it's more about pattern consistency/evenness not the actual color then ?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Ok , so it's more about pattern consistency/evenness not the actual color then ?

Yes, males don't have nice even coloring and patterns

 

[Amer]

It’s actually sexually dimorphic. There are only a few autosexing (sexable at hatch) colors but many sexually dimorphic.
This is because wild chickens are sexually dimorphic, like many birds. They are gold duckwing, with colorful males and still colorful females… but the female color is blended together instead of in large patches.
In other sexually dimorphic colors, males will be colorful and females will have intricate patterns, like Partridge Wyandottes (genetically red pencilled.)
Sometimes, males and females will have only two colors but it expresses in large patches on the males and intricate patterns on the females: like quail d’Anvers or Sicilian Buttercup.
Wheaten doesn’t follow these rules: males are colorful and females are a cream color.
Your olive egger isn’t an official color but the closest color would be blue gold pencilled.
Males can also be blue gold pencilled, but their necks and shoulders would definitely be patches of color and there would most likely be more red.
Blue gold pencilled is not a gender-specific color, but your pullet has gender-specific coloring.

 

[hunthrail]

Thank you, I appreciate the help. Here I've been thinking that male OE/EE might not be able to come in a certain color ( brown base with black pattern for example) even though I'd seen posts of roos with those colors

 

[Amer]

There are a few rule breakers where males have intricate patterns like birchen-based autosomal barring and lacing, but for the most part female coloring is just more detailed.

Also, chickens are one of the easiest species to sex, even if they don’t have sexually dimorphic coloring and even if it is a hen-feathered breed.
It just takes time, and birds need to reach sexual maturity.
Roosters are bigger, have a specific muscular, strongly boned body type, and a large set of comb and wattles and spurs. Of all of these, the comb manifests the most quickly.
Hens are smaller and rounder with wider pubic bones and smaller, finer facial appendages. Of course, sometimes there will be a pullet that gets a big red comb and looks like a rooster but this isn’t too common.

 

[hunthrail]

It’s actually sexually dimorphic. There are only a few autosexing (sexable at hatch) colors but many sexually dimorphic.
This is because wild chickens are sexually dimorphic, like many birds. They are gold duckwing, with colorful males and still colorful females… but the female color is blended together instead of in large patches.
In other sexually dimorphic colors, males will be colorful and females will have intricate patterns, like Partridge Wyandottes (genetically red pencilled.)
Sometimes, males and females will have only two colors but it expresses in large patches on the males and intricate patterns on the females: like quail d’Anvers or Sicilian Buttercup.
Wheaten doesn’t follow these rules: males are colorful and females are a cream color.
Your olive egger isn’t an official color but the closest color would be blue gold pencilled.
Males can also be blue gold pencilled, but their necks and shoulders would definitely be patches of color and there would most likely be more red.
Blue gold pencilled is not a gender-specific color, but your pullet has gender-specific coloring.

Thank you that explains so much. I'm happy you brought up gold duckwing, as that's what my other OE/EE was called, if I'm understanding correctly, she's a gold duckwing because of how her color blends ? Also, I was reading a thread(not sure if it was on this site) about partridge OEs and someone had said that for females the salmon color extends down to the breast for females and not for males. Does that only refer to the partrige or is the another gender-specific color /pattern that would be seen in other breeds and mixes also?

 

[Amer]

Thank you that explains so much. I'm happy you brought up gold duckwing, as that's what my other OE/EE was called, if I'm understanding correctly, she's a gold duckwing because of how her color blends ? Also, I was reading a thread(not sure if it was on this site) about partridge OEs and someone had said that for females the salmon color extends down to the breast for females and not for males. Does that only refer to the partrige or is the another gender-specific color /pattern that would be seen in other breeds and mixes also?

That is a characteristic specific to duckwing pattern. Any hen with a salmon breast and a different colored body is duckwing-based.
Partridge is characterized by having the same breast color as the body color.
Read the first post of this thread for more
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-genetics-blog.1635047/post-27916072

 

[hunthrail]

A second big question that I'll add in . When I see posts asking if a bird is OE or EE , are there any patterns/colors that would only appear with one or the other ? Or is purely determined based on structure? Or is it just guess work and you wait until the lay and decide based on egg color ? I know a few different birds can be used to make OEs vs whats used to make EEs . Since both are mixes of all sorts, I know really they can look like anything , most of the EEs that I've seen,do tend to resemble Ameraucanas closely, but I've also seen some OEs be the same.