Real Genetics Puzzler for the Experts (New Pics post #25)

[speckledhen]

The barring on this chick's chest is coming in just like your JG chick you posted, Schultz.

 

[Schultz]

Really? Isn't that strange? The barring seems more brilliant as they get older too. I'm stumped but God knows what he's doing

Maybe your friend Tim will have some words of wisdom for us!

 

[deerman]

If its barring like BR, then its a sex link color, rooster carry it hiden on the sex gene, and would be a pullet.

Not sure of all the sex link colors in chickens. Know silver,albinism,barring are.

Work with sex link colors for years in peafowl,parakeet , and cockatiel.

Barring is use to produce black sex link chicks.

 

[speckledhen]

Right, I know about the BR hens when paired with non-barred roosters producing barred males and solid females. And the barred males produce all barred chicks. Barring in this chick was the last thing I expected; though,Buster produced barring in a chick from a Black Orp/White Orp mating. I'd be quite pleased if this was a pullet, but the comb is already a bit pink at four weeks old so I'm not counting on anything for sure, LOL.

 

[hinkjc]

Looks like a cockerel to me too Cyn.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for weighing in on this, Jody. Actually, I'm not keeping any of the chicks, male or female. No room in the layers coop for anymore birds, so someone else will have to play Genetics Roulette with this baby.

 

[nzpouter]

any chance of the hen's tail feather pic?

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I'm no expert Speckledhen, but on the other thread you posted about anyone who has hatched eggs from Meg, I noticed (and I don't know if I'm seeing things) that on Suede's tail that it almost looks barred? Like I said.. I might just be seeing things...

 

[speckledhen]

Oh, my goodness, you are right! I'd forgotten that he seems to have bands of med blue/light blue in his sickles! I sort of dismissed that as normal since I'd never had any Blue Orps before Suede. Let me see if I can find a good pic of Suede's sickles and Meg's tail, too. Meg's is really like her RIR heritage, though. BRB.

 

[speckledhen]

Maybe you are onto something here. Here are the tails of the parents of the chick. Yup, you can see it here. Buster had the same thing happen with black over white Orp. And I think that was Suede's son, Diesel, that sired that chick. Maybe the mystery is solved, not why Suede is carrying a barring gene, but why this couple of chicks that Buster and I hatched have the barring coming out. Could be an interesting project for someone. Year of the Rooster and Deerman, thanks for pointing out the obvious and helping with this.


EDITED TO ADD: Light bulb moment!!! Sandhill Preservation, back when they were trying to fix the inbreeding issues with the Blue Orpingtons, crossed out to Blue ROCKS. That is why on occasion, you'd get a yellow-legged Blue Orpington! Blue Rocks, Barred Rocks, I think we may have solved the mystery. AND, this means that many of their Blue Orpingtons have a hidden barring gene! Julie's older Blue Orp stock from years back came from Sandhill. Does anyone else think I'm onto something?