Have I Created a Sexlink? Why do I have 2 different coloured chicks?

[Hypnochick]

Hi Guys, I recently mated my rhode island red ex-batterty hens with a Welsummer Cockerel, that I have had since he was a chick. I made a home made incubator with the help of this site and successfully hatched 2 chicks (hatched today) - veerrrryyy cute. I have 1 yellow with a few darker patces on its back that are hardly noticable and 1 browny colour one with the barely visible welsummer stripes.... I was wondering if i might have created a sexlink and if I have which is which? or why they are different colours?? I have another 6 possibly only 4 eggs hatching in about 2 weeks... can't wait!

 

[barred-rocks-rock]

Possibly! But because Battery Hens are Sex Links themselves they might not breed true, and they may be different colors but same gender. The only thing to do is hatch more chicks.

Edit: If I am wrong, (believe me it happens a lot) and they are sexlinked, the brown one is a girl and the yellow is a boy.

 

[Hypnochick]

Thanks - suppose i just have to wait - I have some more due to hatch in a couple of weeks.

Noticed today that the brown one cant stand for long and seems to be hobbling about like it has a limp. Is there anything I can do?

 

[bahamas]

cute chicks. ( were chickies were happy and were chirping and were colored give me hi five ! )

 

[Ridgerunner]

They should not be sex links. You cannot make a red sex link with a red hen. There is something strange going on, though, and I would suspect the rooster more than the hen.

As Barred-rocks-rock said, the hen is probably a sex link, not pure RIR. The rooster was red, probably RIR, and the mother had a dominant silver gene which she gives to her son and not daughter. That's why the male offspring chick is yellow and the pullet is redder. It is not as simple and straightforward as this in practice but the principle works. In theory the hen should be solid red, but some sex link hens have white on them, ISA Browns as an example.

With the Welsummer rooster, any offspring from this sex-link hen should be darker. I'd suspect there are some recessive genes working here, especially in the rooster. In theory, if you cross a purebred Welsummer rooster with a hen that has the silver gene, like a Delaware or maybe some white rock strains, you should get a sex linked chick. I don't think I would trust that with your rooster.

I cannot help you with the chick with a limp. Lucky for me I have not faced that. Good luck with the chick and the remainder of your hatch.

 

[Hypnochick]

Hi Guys

Thanks for your help...

The two chickies are doing really well and even have 7 cute silkie friends now. The one that had a bit of a limp is absolutely fine now it seems it was just a bit wobbly after hatching.

The yellow chick is now getting some white / pale light brown feathers coming through and the brown chick has the typical welsummer colouration... its an odd one...

The mother is possibly a RIR x with leghorn?? and father is definitely pure bred Welsummer.??

I will let you know the sex of both as soon as I get and egg or a crow.

Thanks again.