Mix breed chick with green legs?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

I just noticed one of my 1 week old chicks has green legs. It’s a barnyard mix chick. Papa is a mix of Red Orpington roo over one of my blue hens who I believe to be a Rhode Island Blue. Mama is (pretty sure) my other blue hen who I believe to be a Blue Rock. I don’t truly know which hen is which breed. My other laying hens include specked Sussex, silver laced, gold laced, and blue laced red Wyandottes, and lavender Orpington. It’s not impossible I have the mama’s breed wrong. None of my chickens have green legs. I’ve heard it’s a EE trait but I only have brown layers. Any idea what these green legs mean or where they could come from?

 

[Cluckingtime]

Hmm interesting... following

 

[ChickNanny13]

Roo is a "mix" Red Orpington while the hens are "blue" (assuming you mean color of feathering possible) Rhode Island Blue, Blue Rock, SS, SLW, GLW, BLRW, LO. You are correct all brown layer breeds, however the RIB & BR are hybrids/mixes and depending on what the parents/grandparents were could be the mystery. What's the lineage of your mix Red Orp? LOVE the coloring of this chick, hope it's a pullet, would be interesting to see the egg color.

 

[Yardmom]

Do any of your hens have dark colored legs?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Roo is a "mix" Red Orpington while the hens are "blue" (assuming you mean color of feathering possible) Rhode Island Blue, Blue Rock, SS, SLW, GLW, BLRW, LO. You are correct all brown layer breeds, however the RIB & BR are hybrids/mixes and depending on what the parents/grandparents were could be the mystery. What's the lineage of your mix Red Orp? LOVE the coloring of this chick, hope it's a pullet, would be interesting to see the egg color.

The dad of this chick is a mix. His daddy (green-legged chick’s paternal grandpa) was a Red Orpington. Mama (paternal grams) was most likely one of the blue hens. Daddy is black with gold and silver leakage. Here’s a link to a thread I made about him. If you scroll down you’ll see the hen that is almost definitely his mama.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-you-my-mother.1579789/

The mom of the green legged chicken is almost definitely my other blue hen. All 3 of these chickens (paternal grandparents and mom) came from Mt Healthy (Red Orp, Blue Rock, & Rhode Island Blue). I don’t know which blue is which, but barring mix up at the hatchery, they’re one of each of those “breeds.” Mt Healthy’s website describes to the Blue Rock as a “production breed” that “results from” Barred Rock x Blue Andalusian. They label the Rhode Island Blue as a “hybrid crossing” of Rhode Island Red x Australorp.

I have a basic understanding of breeds & color when it comes to dogs and horses, but chickens confuse the heck out of me! Lol! To the best of my knowledge, none of the breeds involved have green legs. But I may be wrong. And I’m sure we can question the purity of any bird from a large hatchery.

I also hope it’s a pullet. My previous 2 hatches were 80% male so I think I’m due a turn around in the gender odds (at least I hope so!)

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Do any of your hens have dark colored legs?

Several of them do. Mama has black or slate grey legs.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Grandpa Lucifer ( Red Orp)

Grandma Chicory (Rhode Island Blue ?)

Papa Charcoal

Mama Siggy (left), (Blue Rock?)

 

[Yardmom]

I wonder if the color is just the dark colored legs showing through yellow legs giving a green appearance.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Several of them do. Mama has black or slate grey legs.

The gene that causes slate legs can cover either white or yellow skin. When it covers white skin, you get slate. When it covers yellow skin, which is recessive, you get green.

 

[-Chanticleer-]

I just noticed one of my 1 week old chicks has green legs. It’s a barnyard mix chick. Papa is a mix of Red Orpington roo over one of my blue hens who I believe to be a Rhode Island Blue. Mama is (pretty sure) my other blue hen who I believe to be a Blue Rock. I don’t truly know which hen is which breed. My other laying hens include specked Sussex, silver laced, gold laced, and blue laced red Wyandottes, and lavender Orpington. It’s not impossible I have the mama’s breed wrong. None of my chickens have green legs. I’ve heard it’s a EE trait but I only have brown layers. Any idea what these green legs mean or where they could come from?View attachment 3528041

Whatever they are they are beautiful little babies.