Pullets or Cockerels? Gold Deathlayer X Various

[Backyard Divas]

Hi all!

I have 6 chicks now 4 weeks old that I'm trying to figure out who/what I have.

I know the Rooster was a Gold Deathlayer, but the hens were various breeds that I know at least included a Golden Cuckoo Marans (the only chick I am positive of the mother), a Barred Plymouth Rock, and a Buff Orpington. I've asked what else he had that was laying but haven't heard back as to that yet. I know another looked grey but don't know what it was.

I've got some 3 day old pics as well as some 3 1/2 week old pics. Going from top right to left.

Chick 1 (top right on the group pic. Markings are the same as the second from the left, but this one feathered out faster)

Chick 2, 2nd from top right.

Chick 3 (looks most like a DL chick except for a bit of incomplete chipmunk striping on its back, I'm guessing this one is x BO?)

Chick 4 (DL x BPR?) Roo?

Chick 5. This one was the last to hatch and seems to have the slow maturing gene. It had markings just like the first one but the eggs didn't look the same. It seems to make up for being slower by having a ton of attitude, so I am guessing roo or at the least jockeying for top of the pecking order.

Chick 6 is for sure DL x GCM, but unfortunately looks to be a roo (spot and comb size, although it did inherit dad's cushion comb so that may look bigger?) to me.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The head spotted ones should be males. Barred mothers only pass their barring to their sons, so they couldn't have passed Barring on their daughters.

The others I'm not sure about this early

 

[Backyard Divas]

The head spotted ones should be males. Barred mothers only pass their barring to their sons, so they couldn't have passed Barring on their daughters.

The others I'm not sure about this early

I think those two are males too due to the combs, but wasn't sure how the DL brown barring genes work vs the BPR white barring or GCM cuckoo barring genes. I thought that with barring on both parents you get a white spot either way and the difference is if it is faded and long vs short and concentrated.

Here is a picture of the GCM mother of chick 6 as a chick herself. She had a white spot but it was more defined.

The DL papa didn't have a spot as a chick. I think that is him on the bottom right.

This is what he looked like just before he started crowing and I had to find another home for him, and then a more recent picture. Sorry for the bad quality on them, he was extremely active. The ladies behind him are some of the prospective moms.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think those two are males too due to the combs, but wasn't sure how the DL brown barring genes work vs the BPR white barring or GCM cuckoo barring genes. I thought that with barring on both parents you get a white spot either way and the difference is if it is faded and long vs short and concentrated.

Here is a picture of the GCM mother of chick 6 as a chick herself. She had a white spot but it was more defined.
View attachment 3320275

The DL papa didn't have a spot as a chick. I think that is him on the bottom right.
View attachment 3320279
This is what he looked like just before he started crowing and I had to find another home for him, and then a more recent picture. Sorry for the bad quality on them, he was extremely active. The ladies behind him are some of the prospective moms.
View attachment 3320303
View attachment 3320309

Mama would have had a head spot because both parents were barred, so she got her barred gene from dad.

Death Layers aren't barred. It's a completely different pattern

 

[Backyard Divas]

Mama would have had a head spot because both parents were barred, so she got her barred gene from dad.

Death Layers aren't barred. It's a completely different pattern

Thanks! I wondered and this helps! Whatever they do have it seems pretty dominant since all of them are showing that pattern to some extent.

 

[Backyard Divas]

Update at 5 weeks:

Chick 1

Chick 2 (totally a keeper if a hen)

Chick 3

Chick 4 (sadly roo. Really nice chick)

Chick 5 ( slow maturing. Acts dominate but looks hen to me)

Chick 6 (sadly likely roo) does cushion comb X single comb = walnut comb? You can't quite see it in the pick but the comb looks bumpy like maybe a walnut comb.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Looks like only the two cockerels so far

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Update at 5 weeks:

Chick 1
View attachment 3328873

View attachment 3328874

Chick 2 (totally a keeper if a hen)
View attachment 3328875
View attachment 3328877

Chick 3
View attachment 3328900
View attachment 3328879

Chick 4 (sadly roo. Really nice chick)

View attachment 3328888
View attachment 3328891

Chick 5 ( slow maturing. Acts dominate but looks hen to me)
View attachment 3328893
View attachment 3328892

Chick 6 (sadly likely roo) does cushion comb X single comb = walnut comb? You can't quite see it in the pick but the comb looks bumpy like maybe a walnut comb.
View attachment 3328894
View attachment 3328896

I just noticed that two of your chicks seem to have irregularly colored eyes?

 

[Backyard Divas]

I just noticed that two of your chicks seem to have irregularly colored eyes?

Chicks 1, 2, 3, and 5 all seem to have inherited the black Deathlayer eyes. Chicks 2 and 3 are the darkest, you almost can't see the iris. Interesting that the two with normal eye color (4 and 6) are cockerels. Those two are also most like the mother hens in feather pattern and coloring. Is eye color sex linked in a cross?

I don't know if black eyes on a chicken is that unusual, so you might be referring to the pupils of two of them seeming to pick up a reflection which looked funky with the almost black iris, but I didn't know until it was too late to try a better shot. I'll take a look at them tomorrow and see if I can get a better picture of their eyes.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Chicks 1, 2, 3, and 5 all seem to have inherited the black Deathlayer eyes. Chicks 2 and 3 are the darkest, you almost can't see the iris. Interesting that the two with normal eye color (4 and 6) are cockerels. Those two are also most like the mother hens in feather pattern and coloring. Is eye color sex linked in a cross?

I don't know if black eyes on a chicken is that unusual, so you might be referring to the pupils of two of them seeming to pick up a reflection which looked funky with the almost black iris, but I didn't know until it was too late to try a better shot. I'll take a look at them tomorrow and see if I can get a better picture of their eyes.

Ah, I see. I don’t think their eye color is sex-linked.