Olive Egger Cuckoo Roo - recessive?!

[Sixandahalfacres]

Chicken genetics never cease to amaze and baffle me. I did a late hatch of just 3 chicks last August because I knew a niece would be visiting me and really want to see some chicks. I bred a BCM roo with some of my Easter Eggers. I ended up with a fairly standard Easter egger roo, and a black hen with a copper neck, and then one anomaly... this orange cuckoo rooster! I had always thought that cuckoo was dominant and he’s the only one in my flock that has this feathering. I was thinking of breeding him back to some BCM hens this spring, but I am quite confused as to what I will get. Will the chicks be sex-linked? Will half get the barring, regardless of sex? I’ve been combing through the forums but can’t seem to figure it out. Anyone have any insight into breeding a cuckoo roo who obviously doesn’t have the double cuckoo gene?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have no idea, but he's gorgeous.

 

[Sixandahalfacres]

He is a looker, isn’t he? I may just breed him to a few different hens for fun to see if I can get make some fun barnyard mixes!

 

[mandelyn]

For sexlinks, the hens need to be barred. Otherwise you'll get an unreliable mix. I bet there was barred rock in the EE's background, throwing out colored barring in subsequent generations.

I still get some barred throwbacks in my "science projects" and now I have some pretty good looking boys coming up with good patterns to use, consistent barring makes for better sexlinkage later on, so I'm using those better marked boys over the duller patterned girls to start up a barred line. Daughters from the barred line would then allow for sexlinks later.

This is one guy that popped out with color last year. The guy standing behind him was the one who got the girls this year.

 

[Sixandahalfacres]

For sexlinks, the hens need to be barred. Otherwise you'll get an unreliable mix. I bet there was barred rock in the EE's background, throwing out colored barring in subsequent generations.

I still get some barred throwbacks in my "science projects" and now I have some pretty good looking boys coming up with good patterns to use, consistent barring makes for better sexlinkage later on, so I'm using those better marked boys over the duller patterned girls to start up a barred line. Daughters from the barred line would then allow for sexlinks later.

This is one guy that popped out with color last year. The guy standing behind him was the one who got the girls this year.


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Oh wow, he looks almost exactly like my rooster, mine just has feathered legs from his Marans dad. Thanks fo sharing! I'm not quite at the point to start any sexlink projects, but that doesn't intrigue me so I may keep him. The only problem is that he is the loudest rooster I've ever had, and crows all day long...