not what expected... can anyone explain?

[kennita2001]

I have barred rock hens that i bought from a breeder and raised. They were the correct coloring and definitely look to be nice healthy barred rocks
I bought a year old supposedly barred rock rooster from another breeder. He also looks like a barred rock. The only thing i would change is that he is on the smaller side for a barred rock
I bred these hens and rooster and put them under a different broody hen but marked the eggs so i knew what hatched from what
I had seven chicks hatch. Two have been black completely from birth. Two were born black with headspots and extra white on their breasts but have feathered in as light barred. The last three looked like normal barred rock chicks and have feathered in as dark barred.
They are all now nearly eight weeks old
So my question is does anyone know how i have this range of chicks? Are they some kind of sexlink? If so any idea on which are male or female? And what would happen if i bred any of these back to barred rocks in future?
Sorry for the story and lots of questions... Im just very confused!

 

[featherz]

I am sure an expert will answer this soon, but if all the chickens involved were pure barred rocks, then generally your lighter barred will be your male chicks and the darker ones your females (this can be incorrect in mixed breeds, but that's the general idea).

 

[Firefighter Chick]

Pics would be helpful. Male barred rocks typically are lighter than the females. Depending on the age of your chicks, do you think the difference is the sex of your chicks?

 

[kennita2001]

Hi
Thanks for the replies
I will take some pics tomorrow but theyre outside and its dark atm
Im just confused mostly about the two black ones as i shouldnt get any solid chicks. Should i?

 

[donrae]

What comes to mind to me is your rooster is actually a black sex link or half barred rock himself, esp with the being smaller. A pic would help confirm this.
So, if he is half barred, his color is barred but he only has one barring gene to pass on, instead of two. So, if you put him over barred rock hens, you can get a version of a sex link. He will pass on barring half of the time. The hen passes on barring only to her male offspring. So, a solid chick with no headspot SHOULD be a female sex link. No barring gene from the sire, so almost like you bred the hen to a non-barred rooster. No barring from the dam, cause the bird is female. The birds with head spots you can't sex, they could be either sex. Reading back, your lighter barred birds should be roosters, cause they got the barring gene from both parents. It's the "normal" barred chicks that you'll just have to wait on, they could be either.


Is any of this making sense? I have a nice black sex link roo I've hatched some babies from and this is how it's worked for me, and how it should be from the genetics I've researched. Let me know if something is too confusing!

A pic of your roo would be great, help clear things up.

 

[stephanie1992]

What comes to mind to me is your rooster is actually a black sex link or half barred rock himself, esp with the being smaller. A pic would help confirm this.
So, if he is half barred, his color is barred but he only has one barring gene to pass on, instead of two. So, if you put him over barred rock hens, you can get a version of a sex link. He will pass on barring half of the time. The hen passes on barring only to her male offspring. So, a solid chick with no headspot SHOULD be a female sex link. No barring gene from the sire, so almost like you bred the hen to a non-barred rooster. No barring from the dam, cause the bird is female. The birds with head spots you can't sex, they could be either sex. Reading back, your lighter barred birds should be roosters, cause they got the barring gene from both parents. It's the "normal" barred chicks that you'll just have to wait on, they could be either.


Is any of this making sense? I have a nice black sex link roo I've hatched some babies from and this is how it's worked for me, and how it should be from the genetics I've researched. Let me know if something is too confusing!

A pic of your roo would be great, help clear things up.

actully any chick will be a male. U cant make a sex link from a sex link....soo i was told. I could b wrong

 

[donrae]

actully any chick will be a male. U cant make a sex link from a sex link....soo i was told. I could b wrong

You can't with red sex links. And not reliably with blacks, cause it's not consistent. You should be able to sex 25% of them at hatch, solid headed birds will be female. It's kind of a glitch in the genetics.

 

[kennita2001]

I took some pics but cant figure out how to upload them. Can anyone give me some instructions please?

 

[kennita2001]

Ok. Just to keep everyone updated. I started a thread in the help section but everyone is stumped as to why i cant upload. I will upload the pics as soon as i can

 

[kennita2001]

Whilst i am waiting could anyone help me with what i would get if i brdd any of these chicks back to plymouth rocks? And which rooster would be better? Would a lighter one have both barring genes and therefore breed properly?