Red Sex Link or no?

[Westholme Farmstead]

Can someone help me out with this 4 week old chick? I'm trying to determine this chick's breed mix but it's not adding up for me.

The rooster was a Rhode Island Red for sure. The hen was either Barred Rock, Light Sussex, Light Brahma or Rhode Island Red. There are black Ameraucana and White Leghorns in the coop as well but this hatched from a brown egg so neither of them are an option. I've attached a photos of the potential hens and rooster in addition to photos of the chick in question.

I originally assumed that this chick was a pure RIR but it seems to be getting barred feathers and Rhode Island Reds don't have barred feathers. This rules out it being pure RIR.

I'm just learning when it comes to chicken genetics but my understanding is that a Barred Rock hen x Rhode Island Red rooster makes a black sex link. This definitely isn't that. So the hen was not a Barred Rock.

Now, again I'm learning but, I believe a Light Sussex or Light Brahma hen with a Rhode Island Red rooster makes a red sex link. This chick fits this description best but neither of these potential hens has barred feathers. Sussex have white legs though and I believe that is dominant. This chick has yellow legs. Probably not the Light Sussex because of that. Do Brahmas always pass down feathered legs/feet? He/she has clean legs and feet.

So, anyway, I'm confused. I've assumed this chick to be a cockerel but, if it's a red sex link then it's obviously a pullet being that it is red. It does not look female to me though. I have another red chick from this hatch that looks quite similar to this one but has feathered legs. The hen must have been a Brahma for that one making it a red sex link female. She is fairly masculine and quite a heavy bird as well, maybe even a little moreso than this one.

There are no other potential breeds that could be the mother and everyone was supposed to be purebred. They look to be pure but I suppose it's possible they aren't though. I know that, in the end, it doesn't matter but I'm curious. I'd love some insight from those who know a little more than I do. Is there something obvious I'm missing here?

The chick in question:

The rooster and potential hens:

I've had lots of people tell me that the barred feathers mean this chick had to come from a Barred Rock hen. We have another from this hatch that obviously came from a Barred Rock hen (see below) and I would expect any others from the RIR rooster x BR hen mating to look like our boy below if male or be all black if female. Maybe this isn't always the case though?

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Krystal

 

[JedJackson]

Wow, I can see why you are confused! I do think the chick is barred, which means the mother should be the barred rock. But normally male chicks from RIR father x BR mother will not be red, but will have plumage similar to the mother with maybe a little red leakage. I am not sure what is going on with this one, to be honest. Perhaps one of the parents has some funky hidden genetics. I believe the chick is a cockerel due to the very thick legs.

If you are interested, this might be an fun question to pose in the 'genetics' forum.

 

[FunClucks]

x2 ask the genetics gurus. I bet @NatJ or @nicalandia could shed light here.

 

[Westholme Farmstead]

@JedJackson and @FunClucks I will do that, thank you!

 

[FunClucks]

@JedJackson and @FunClucks I will do that, thank you!

If you give them a day or so, the folks I tagged might respond on this thread. But if not, a thread in the genetics forum can't go wrong.

 

[Westholme Farmstead]

For anyone who comes along later and might be interested, I've also posted this here: Mixed Breed Genetics Help! in the Exhibition, Genetics, & Breeding to the SOP forum.

 

[NatJ]

Can someone help me out with this 4 week old chick? I'm trying to determine this chick's breed mix but it's not adding up for me.

The rooster was a Rhode Island Red for sure. The hen was either Barred Rock, Light Sussex, Light Brahma or Rhode Island Red. There are black Ameraucana and White Leghorns in the coop as well but this hatched from a brown egg so neither of them are an option. I've attached a photos of the potential hens and rooster in addition to photos of the chick in question.

I originally assumed that this chick was a pure RIR but it seems to be getting barred feathers and Rhode Island Reds don't have barred feathers. This rules out it being pure RIR.

I'm just learning when it comes to chicken genetics but my understanding is that a Barred Rock hen x Rhode Island Red rooster makes a black sex link. This definitely isn't that. So the hen was not a Barred Rock.

Now, again I'm learning but, I believe a Light Sussex or Light Brahma hen with a Rhode Island Red rooster makes a red sex link. This chick fits this description best but neither of these potential hens has barred feathers. Sussex have white legs though and I believe that is dominant. This chick has yellow legs. Probably not the Light Sussex because of that. Do Brahmas always pass down feathered legs/feet? He/she has clean legs and feet.

So, anyway, I'm confused. I've assumed this chick to be a cockerel but, if it's a red sex link then it's obviously a pullet being that it is red. It does not look female to me though. I have another red chick from this hatch that looks quite similar to this one but has feathered legs. The hen must have been a Brahma for that one making it a red sex link female. She is fairly masculine and quite a heavy bird as well, maybe even a little moreso than this one.

There are no other potential breeds that could be the mother and everyone was supposed to be purebred. They look to be pure but I suppose it's possible they aren't though. I know that, in the end, it doesn't matter but I'm curious. I'd love some insight from those who know a little more than I do. Is there something obvious I'm missing here?

The chick in question:

View attachment 3532291View attachment 3532292

The rooster and potential hens:

View attachment 3532303View attachment 3532304

I've had lots of people tell me that the barred feathers mean this chick had to come from a Barred Rock hen. We have another from this hatch that obviously came from a Barred Rock hen (see below) and I would expect any others from the RIR rooster x BR hen mating to look like our boy below if male or be all black if female. Maybe this isn't always the case though?

View attachment 3532308

Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Krystal

Your logic all seems correct to me.

I see two possible answers:
1) It could be a pure Rhode Island Red. Sometimes they get odd patterns in their feathers when they are young, but later mature to have a nice even red color. I think this is the more likely explanation, even though I have not seen any that looked quite like your chick.

2) It could have a Barred Rock mother, if she is carrying two wrong genes. She is supposed to be pure for Extended Black (E), and is supposed to have the silver gene. She would need to have some other gene, not E, to allow that much red color to show. And she would need to have the gold gene, not silver, to produce a son that looks red. I think this is the less likely explanation, but I cannot entirely rule it out.

I think you are right to rule out the silver hens as the mother of any red son. Yes, it looks male to me.
And the Brahma should give both feathered feet and pea comb to her chicks, so those are other reasons that she cannot be the mother.

 

[Flockking]

Super interested in their growth
Please don't hesitate to update the tread

 

[Westholme Farmstead]

Your logic all seems correct to me.

I see two possible answers:
1) It could be a pure Rhode Island Red. Sometimes they get odd patterns in their feathers when they are young, but later mature to have a nice even red color. I think this is the more likely explanation, even though I have not seen any that looked quite like your chick.

2) It could have a Barred Rock mother, if she is carrying two wrong genes. She is supposed to be pure for Extended Black (E), and is supposed to have the silver gene. She would need to have some other gene, not E, to allow that much red color to show. And she would need to have the gold gene, not silver, to produce a son that looks red. I think this is the less likely explanation, but I cannot entirely rule it out.

I think you are right to rule out the silver hens as the mother of any red son. Yes, it looks male to me.
And the Brahma should give both feathered feet and pea comb to her chicks, so those are other reasons that she cannot be the mother.

Thank you so much! Of those two potential options you presented, I feel that the pure Rhode Island Red option is probably more likely than the mother being a Barred Rock with two wrong genes. He looks so odd for a Rhode Island Red though! I guess I will just have to wait and see how he looks in a few weeks. I'll come back and update
Thanks again for your input!

 

[Westholme Farmstead]

Super interested in their growth
Please don't hesitate to update the tread

I definitely will. I always hate when people don't come back to update when I'm invested in what's been posted!