Genetics question about barred pullets *PIX ADDED*

[Sunny Side Up]

Okay, here are the photos I promised! Take a look and see if you have a theory as to why I never before had barred pullets hatching from my mixed bouquet of chickens.

One of the barred pullets, slightly poufy cheeks, yellowish legs with black marks

The other barred pullet, with poufy cheeks and pinkish legs

"Old Yeller" the Buff Rock rooster. He's built like a Clydesdale but as you can see, gentle as a kitten

"Beaker" the EE rooster. Look how he doesn't have those thin pointy feathers on his hackles or saddle! I'm not sure if he was a direct offspring from the Americana rooster & one of the Americana hens I have, or if there is also some influence from the Brown Leghorn roo I used to have.

Here's "Silver", the Blue Rock rooster I just added.

This is "Parfait" the Barred Rock hen

And "Cuckoo-Bird", the Cuckoo Marans hen

Finally, here are the latest batch of cockerels, growing towards the table. There's one barred boy here, and look at the greyish-ones that look like Silver, I've never had ones that color before

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Beaker has henny feathering; I'm not sure if henny feathering alters leg pigment, allowing a male to have the dark on them like the first "pullet" you show, or not. Hopefully Henk or Tadkerson or Chris09 will chime in and answer that.

 

[Georgia Boy 1970]

I agree that beaker looks like a henny.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I just edited the captions to the photos. I realized that both the barred pullets have slightly poufy cheeks. Not as much as that white Americana hen in the 7th photo, but definitely some feathers that stick out.

Keep in mind that Beaker has been "in business" for over a year or more now, and I've never had a barred pullet hatch here. But there have been barred cockerels. I guess it could be coincidental, that all the barred chicks were males and no females hatched. I have maybe 2-4 dozen chicks hatch here each year, not that many to have a definite trend.

But could it be the influence of Silver, the new Blue Rock roo, that is causing barred pullets to be hatched now? He's only been working here since Feb.

 

[Chris09]

"Beaker" is most defiantly Henny feathered.
You said you had a Brown Leghorn Rooster, are you positive that is was a Brown Leghorn, where did you get him from and do you remember what color his legs were?

How old did you say the two Barred birds in the first two pictures are, and are they laying?

Chris

 

[Sunny Side Up]

The Brown Leghorn came from McMurray. I don't have any pictures of him but he was such a handsome guy, conformed to type, had yellow legs. I named him "Stetson" because of his impressive headgear. He died last year but his genes must still live in some of my hens. There never were any barred pullets hatched when he was here, but there were barred cockerels with some brown feathers, like Black Sex-Link roos.

The two barred pullets pictured are about 15 weeks old, not laying yet. I think the first one could have come from the Barred Rock hen, and the second one from the Cuckoo Marans hen. But who is the daddy?

 

[Chris09]

Well if I was a betting man I would say the father is the EE ("Beaker") and I would say that the two Barred birds that you think are pullets are actually cockerels.

Chris

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Well Chris, I could be wrong and often am. I went out to re-check these barred birds and still *think* they're pullets. They may be closer to 10-12 weeks, I'm not certain. But they don't (yet?) have pointy saddle/hackle feathers growing in, no iridescent feathers, and their combs are much more pale than any of the others of the same age range that I've separated into the cockerel grow-out pen. I guess that I'll have to wait a few more weeks to be certain.

I just wanted to ask the members more knowledgeable about chicken genetics & traits what they thought about this. It's not to change anything in my breeding plans (I really don't have any) but just to satisfy my curiosity and increase my knowledge about my chickens.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
If the father was "Beaker" then it would be possible that his male offspring would/could be Henny Feathered just like him. If they were then you would not see any tell tail feather signs of a rooster.

Henny Feathering: Hf
Is an autosomal incomplete dominant gene that causes female-type plumage structure and ( if applicable ) plumage pattern and colors on males. It works by affecting the hormones in the feather follicles, and is a breed characteristic of Campines, Henny Game, and Sebrights.


Chris

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Chris, does henny feathering affect leg pigment? I know barred girls often have a dusky colour atop the yello on their legs. Would a henny feathered male have this?