Is this really a barred rock?

[speckledhen]

He may be an extra dark black sexlink, I suppose. Their leg color may vary, though it's usually yellow on the cockerels.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Thanks so much for your help! He's been looking just a little not-quite-right to me, and i needed confirmation. It's too bad he's not br. I really like his personality. But i won't be able to keep him just for his personality.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, you know, lockedhearts does have an extra dark rooster hatched from my hen, Zoe (who she also now owns), named RuPaul. Yours may be one like Ru, but he also has odd colored legs for a BR, so who knows? Don't you hate puzzlers like that?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
HA! Well, as a matter of fact. Yes! Especially when i can't be certain of the answer.

 

[Tala]

Quote:
Mine aren't.

Their daddy is a Buff Orpington and the boys have almost white feet and legs, with pink around the edges. I kinda find them creepy looking. Ghost-like. The girls have dark dark feet.

 

[speckledhen]

As I said, the leg color can vary. Since black sexlinks are usually RIR x BR, and both breeds have yellow legs, that cross usually does. Now, if a Cuckoo Marans was used in place of a BR hen, that would certainly give you that dusky color leg, I can see.

 

[walkswithdog]

I think the leg color is photo quality rather than anything "odd" for a BR. That's a single barring gene Cockeral, you get single barring in an outcross to a non-barred breed, so yes could be sexlink, or anything else they decide to outcross to so they could more easily feather sex the line. That's the problem with hatchery stock, they'll do whatever works for production and purity be darned. Bred to barred birds he'll continue to produce barred, bred to non-barred birds, he'll produce barred males and non-barred females. So he works for the hatcheries goals, but not as well for the home flock when you'd like an actual BARRED ROCK.

 

[LindsayB]

I'm no expert but that chicken just looks like a hen to me. Not the best barring but still a beautiful bird, I'd be happy with her!

 

[Bookworm chick]

I have a small backyard flock of bantams. The rooster and two hens are BR which were supposed to have come from a hatchery. The other three hens are a mixed breed (maybe leghorn mix) of mutts that were given to us. I would say your's is a Barred Rock cross. Here's some photos of the results of a Barred Rock (roo) and mixed breed (pullet) from last August.
The first photo shows the mother with her 6 week olds. The next photo is when they were 8 weeks old. There were three cockerels and four pullets. You can tell the cockerels by their combs at both 6 weeks and 8 weeks. The third photo shows some of the other members of the flock. The hen standing right to the left of the roo is BR. Hope this helps.

 

[Mahonri]

At that age, it's gotta be a boy.

But it's a BR cross of some sort.