My first hatching experiment need help to ID

[SpringValleyAcres]

This is gonna be long. This is my first time hatching chicks (intentionally). I wanted to see what would come of my rooster with two of my hens. I am also wanting colorful eggs. I have bought most of my adult chickens from a lady that sells at the farmers market. So far, she is my source of information about my chickens. My rooster was sold to me as a Black Jersey Giant, but when I told her he ended up having quite a bit of copper and red mixed in and was rather agressive she told he he might have been a French Copper Marans. So I am not sure about him. I incubated 10 chicks sired by him. 5 are from a Delaware white hen, and 5 from a hen who I was told is an amberlink and crested cream legbar mix (she looksnlike a skinny barred rock). With those 10 I also incubated 5 EE's also sold to me by the same lady. I believe she said all the EE's were sired by a Cream Legbar. I think on of the mothers is a lakenvelder. Anyhow, the problem is, I wanted to ID all of them so I know which one came out of which egg or at least which type of egg, but they all look so similar I can't tell them apart. Everyone if them so far (3 have not yayched yet) are dark grey with a little whitish marking. I'll post pictures once I can open the incubator.


Update: my guess right now is that the ones with the whitish spot are from the Delaware, the ones with the yellow dot are from the CCL and the 2 yellow faced ones and the brown one are the easter eggers. Agree, disagree? Any more insights?

 

[NatJ]

My rooster was sold to me as a Black Jersey Giant, but when I told her he ended up having quite a bit of copper and red mixed in and was rather agressive she told he he might have been a French Copper Marans. So I am not sure about him. I incubated 10 chicks sired by him. 5 are from a Delaware white hen, and 5 from a hen who I was told is an amberlink and crested cream legbar mix (she looksnlike a skinny barred rock).

From that rooster and those hens, you are likely to get lots of black chicks. Since the hens have white barring but the father does not, any chicks with white barring will be males and chicks with no white barring will be females. (Barring: light dot on the head at hatch, white lines across the feathers as they grow.)

With those 10 I also incubated 5 EE's also sold to me by the same lady. I believe she said all the EE's were sired by a Cream Legbar. I think on of the mothers is a lakenvelder.

Cream Legbar would give white barring to all his chicks. So if that information is correct, any chick with NO barring is NOT from those eggs. Other than that, some mothers would produce chicks that look pretty much the same as the ones from your own crosses.

Anyhow, the problem is, I wanted to ID all of them so I know which one came out of which egg or at least which type of egg, but they all look so similar I can't tell them apart. Everyone if them so far (3 have not yayched yet) are dark grey with a little whitish marking. I'll post pictures once I can open the incubator.

Pictures would definitely help. But it might not be possible to sort them all out at this age. Some might become more clear with time, and some might always be a mystery.

Update: my guess right now is that the ones with the whitish spot are from the Delaware, the ones with the yellow dot are from the CCL and the 2 yellow faced ones and the brown one are the easter eggers. Agree, disagree? Any more insights?

You might be right, but I really don't know for sure.

 

[SpringValleyAcres]

The 3 easter eggers have a cream legbar father andI don't know the mother. I have 5 that have a cream legbar mother and whichever my rooster was. I am thinking all the delawares with a white dot are males. But what about the ones with the cream legbar mother. Would it be the same with them?

 

[SpringValleyAcres]

I actually think I've got them ID pretty accurately now. Now to sex them.

 

[NatJ]

The 3 easter eggers have a cream legbar father andI don't know the mother. I have 5 that have a cream legbar mother and whichever my rooster was. I am thinking all the delawares with a white dot are males. But what about the ones with the cream legbar mother. Would it be the same with them?

If the father has no barring, and the mother does have barring, then any chicks with barring must be males.

That applies to hens that are Barred Rocks, Cuckoo Marans, Cream Legbars, Bielefelders, Delawares, and so forth. No matter what base color, if the mother has the barring gene (makes white bars across the feathers) and the father does not, then the chicks are sexlinks.

But if the FATHER has barring, then chicks of both genders can have barring, and are not sexlinks. That applies when the father is a Cream Legbar, a Barred Rock, etc.

 

[SpringValleyAcres]

What kind of comb is this? What does it mean as far as breed ID? None of my parent birds have this. But I don't think this was from theEaster Egger eggs I bought. I think I've ID'd those (basically the non barred ones). I think these little crested guys are from my cream legbar hen who has the comb that flops. This one took me by surprise and I think I have found 2 others that are less pronounced/ developed. Is this a recessive gene?

 

[NatJ]

View attachment 3464426What kind of comb is this? What does it mean as far as breed ID? None of my parent birds have this. But I don't think this was from theEaster Egger eggs I bought. I think I've ID'd those (basically the non barred ones). I think these little crested guys are from my cream legbar hen who has the comb that flops. This one took me by surprise and I think I have found 2 others that are less pronounced/ developed. Is this a recessive gene?

That looks like a duplex comb to me. Duplex comes in two forms (Buttercup and V), and both are dominant, so I would expect one parent to have either V or Buttercup comb. A Polish father would explain it easily.

I also incubated 5 EE's also sold to me by the same lady. I believe she said all the EE's were sired by a Cream Legbar. I think on of the mothers is a lakenvelder.

If she has a Lakenvelder, she might also have some other rare breeds like Buttercups or Polish or Houdans or Spitzhaubens or Brabanters. Any of those could produce chicks with a doubled comb.

Here is a thread showing a chick with a similar comb:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-kind-of-comb-is-this.1523566/
(That chick has a Spitzhauben mother and a single-comb father.)