Predicting who mommy and daddy were!

[PrincessBillieB]

I know this is totally speculative and really doesn't matter anyway...but I just hatched out my first clutch of chicks and am dying to know who mom and dad are!!!

So here is what we have:

1 rhode island red hen
2 buff orpington hens
1 silver laced cochin hen
1 columbian wyandotte hen
(also have 5 retired battery hens but they did not have access to where the eggs were laid)

1 rhode island red rooster
1 amaraucana rooster


So here's the story:

The silver laced cochin is the one that incubated the 10 eggs but due to the vast differences in sizes and colors, I am sure that they are not all hers. The RIR rooster is definitely the leader of the hens, but I have also seen the Amar. rooster breed each one of the hens when the RIR isn't looking. Before the cochin started to brood I have also seen all of the hens at various times sitting in that particular nest box (they kind of all trade and then sometimes lay in random places! I found about 30 eggs behind a bale of hay once! lol)

The chicks all hatched out of brown eggs (of varying shades) and the total is 3 brown chicks and 2 yellow ones (another hatched since the pic was taken). Any guesses as to who mom and dad are? I know cochins have fertility issues so its possible that none of the chicks are actually hers.

Doesn't truly matter because we are just happy that the hen and chicks are doing well...but just wondering. I've heard that rhode island red genetics are pretty strong so if RIR is the daddy they will probably look like reds?

 

[iwiw60]

I know this is totally speculative and really doesn't matter anyway...but I just hatched out my first clutch of chicks and am dying to know who mom and dad are!!!

So here is what we have:

1 rhode island red hen
2 buff orpington hens
1 silver laced cochin hen
1 columbian wyandotte hen
(also have 5 retired battery hens but they did not have access to where the eggs were laid)

1 rhode island red rooster
1 amaraucana rooster


So here's the story:

The silver laced cochin is the one that incubated the 10 eggs but due to the vast differences in sizes and colors, I am sure that they are not all hers. The RIR rooster is definitely the leader of the hens, but I have also seen the Amar. rooster breed each one of the hens when the RIR isn't looking. Before the cochin started to brood I have also seen all of the hens at various times sitting in that particular nest box (they kind of all trade and then sometimes lay in random places! I found about 30 eggs behind a bale of hay once! lol)

The chicks all hatched out of brown eggs (of varying shades) and the total is 3 brown chicks and 2 yellow ones (another hatched since the pic was taken). Any guesses as to who mom and dad are? I know cochins have fertility issues so its possible that none of the chicks are actually hers.

Doesn't truly matter because we are just happy that the hen and chicks are doing well...but just wondering. I've heard that rhode island red genetics are pretty strong so if RIR is the daddy they will probably look like reds?

I haven't a clue..sorry. But they are ADORABLE!! Congrats on a great hatch!

 

[FaithM]

I would definitely guess that a RIR was involved in the process because of the red chicks. For the other half, I would guess buff orpington. Those are just my guesses, though. I want to see what other people think!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea what your Ameraucana rooster looks like. There are 8 different recognized color/patterns for true Ameraucanas, all with different genetics. Plus the vast majority of chickens that are called Ameraucana on this forum are actually Easter Eggers. Those normally have mixed genetics and don’t breed true. Way too many recessives hiding under the dominant genes top know what the chicks will look like. Without knowing what color/pattern your Ameraucana is or if it is a true Ameraucana to start with, it’s difficult to guess.

There are some clues, however, but this is said without knowing what the “Ameraucana” contributes.

If the chicks have feathers on their feet, the Cochin is the mother.

If the chicks have a rose comb, the Wyandotte is the mother.

If the Ameraucana is a true Ameraucana, he has a pea comb. So will his chicks unless the Wyandotte is the mother. Then the chicks will have a walnut comb.

With the information provided, that’s as far as I can go.

 

[PrincessBillieB]

Here is our Ameraucana rooster who does have a pea comb. None of the chicks have fuzzy feet so I'm guessing cochin isn't mom. Lol.

 

[goldfinches]

Your rooster is an Easter Egger. You should be able to tell if any of the chicks are his by looking first at their faces. If they have fluffy cheeks and pea combs, they're probably his. The second clue is their legs, if they're green, like his, then they're his offspring.

I don't know much about RIR genetics, but you're so close to making sex link chicks, but not close enough! But, the way to tell if he's the father is probably their combs, if they're straight there's a good chance they're his. Not completely, because, since EE genes are so mixed, it's possible for them to have straight comb offspring, but not typical.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The RIR rooster over the Silver Laced Cochin or the Columbian Wyandotte will make red sex links. There is a reasonable chance the yellow chicks are red sex link males.

I can’t tell what the genetics are of that EE rooster. I know there is some reddish in the coloring, but that might come from Mahogany and not gold, so he may have silver or at least be split for silver. If he is silver, the yellow chicks could be his. I just don’t know.

 

[goldfinches]

The RIR rooster over the Silver Laced Cochin or the Columbian Wyandotte will make red sex links. There is a reasonable chance the yellow chicks are red sex link males.

I can’t tell what the genetics are of that EE rooster. I know there is some reddish in the coloring, but that might come from Mahogany and not gold, so he may have silver or at least be split for silver. If he is silver, the yellow chicks could be his. I just don’t know.

Cool! Thanks for that info. I wondered about the silver cochin.