Need help from a Rhode Island Red expert.

[bsee4u]

I just completed a hatch of 6 RIR's, very outgoing little peeps compared to my last batch of barnyard mixed. My question is this, I have 2 that have 3 dark brown racing stripes down their backs, the other 4 are lighter and have plain backs. Is this difference in any way related to the sex of the chixk, or is it just having different parents. I got the eggs from some farmers who have about 200 RIR's exclusively, so they are all purebred. Thanks in advance.

 

[Want Less]

FWIW, We have some RIRs and Ive never heard of color pattern being related to sex. My guess would be genetics.

 

[14chickmama]

I dont know if it has anything to do with the sex but I have 2 RIR the one with a darker brown stripe on her head and back is my hen then the lighter one and he has a red tip on his beak I'm pretty sure is my roo. It could just be genetics but those are what I have. They are 2 weeks old now.

 

[bsee4u]

Thanks for the responses, I guess I will find out for sure in the next few weeks. I plan to keep one of these hens for my laying hens, I had 2 die last year. I have another batch of Americauna's to hatch for someone in a couple of weeks, I will keep one of those to have 5 brown and 2 colored egg layers.

 

[Want Less]

Our RIR started getting bigger than the girls in the same batch within a few days of hatching. Within a couple weeks we were suspecting "she" was a "he", and then the red around his face started appearing shortly after, and we were right. But they're all different