HELP identifying chick breeds!!

[grimes1213]

I hatched a bunch of mutts from our own backyard flock, and I know who most everyone belongs to based on egg color they hatched from - but I am having a hard time telling between the barred rock and brahma eggs... I have these 3 almost identical chicks that hatched from brown eggs, they are steel blue grey in color, and have partially feathered feet.. the mom choices are: hatchery light brahma hen (she is not a pretty light brahma, she has much more black than she should), a blue partridge brahma hen, or barred rock hens.. any thoughts?

 

[grimes1213]

I am leaning towards barred rock because of the dark wash on the legs... but I can't remember if my brahmas had that when they were babies too? The rocks def don't anymore, they are yellow legged now as adults.

 

[grimes1213]

This is the light brahma hen.. she's a hot mess.. her feathers always look rough.

 

[grimes1213]

This is the daddy..

 

[grimes1213]

These 2 came from dark brown eggs which I believe are my golden cuckoo marans eggs.. my welsummer is usually more speckly.. and they have black legs and neither the rooster nor the marans have a black leg.. weird?

 

[donrae]

Since the rooster has feathered legs, all his offspring should have some degree of leg feathering, so that's no help in determining who momma is.

A barred Rock and a Cuckoo Marans would both give sex linked offspring. any chicks with a white head spot will be males, from one of them. I can't see if any have head spots?

I think you may just have to wait and see how they turn out to tell who mommas are. I bred my light Brahma to a blue barred rooster last year and she gave me black barred babies--I'd expected more of her silver to carry over, but it didn't. So, you may have mixes, or they may be from the blue Brahma momma. I think it'll be interesting to see how they turn out.....one thing I love about hatching mixes is you never know what you'll get

 

[grimes1213]

Thanks! I don't think I see any spots on any heads, I will double check! I can't wait to see what they look like as they grow most of them are going to a friend so hopefully I will be able to see how they turn out! His is the whole gang:

The bottom row is the three questionable brown egg hatchlings on the left and the 2 dark brown maran egg hatchlings on the right, the middle row is 3 cream leg bar egg hatchlings on the left, a single partridge rock hatchling, and 4 Easter eggers hatchlings (the mom is all black), the top row is a single welsummer egg hatchling on the left and the right is what I believe was a blue partridge brahma egg from the blue partridge hen, only because it was a brown egg but def not a barred rock, and the feathering on the feet is heavy..

 

[drumstick diva]

sorry don't have a clue at this age