Rooster or hen?

[NickleChick]

Hello, I have two australorp x sussex chickens (8wks) and am getting concerned they are going to be roosters. They are starting to 'play fight' each other, although we have noticed others doing the same chest-bumping behaviour...(for want of a better description). They are also developing combs that are much larger and redder than our others of the same age. I am very new to this but can't have 3 roosters
Any ideas/reassurance would be appreciated.

 

[Blackberry18]

I hate to bear bad news, but both of your chicks are cockerels. The combs and wattles are too large for a pullet at 8 weeks of age. Sorry. But interesting how the genetics turned out.

 

[Kev]

Are you sure those are australorp x sussex? what color was the sussex?

 

[Blackberry18]

Are you sure those are australorp x sussex? what color was the sussex?

Light Sussex? One of the crosses looks similar to a Red Sex-Link, and the Light Sussex would contribute the silver gene. Not sure about the Australorp thing, though.

 

[Michael OShay]

Both of them are roosters. Sorry. (

 

[Kev]

Light Sussex? One of the crosses looks similar to a Red Sex-Link, and the Light Sussex would contribute the silver gene. Not sure about the Australorp thing, though.

The thing about Light sussex is they're silver columbian. Australorps are either E or ER. So this kind of cross would either produce birds looking same as black sex links and/or same black sexlink pattern in silver.

So how come one bird is solid white and the other shows dominant white being present. In theory a solid white white sussex with dominant white could throw a solid white with australorp but it would be impossible for that pairing to produce that red and white bird. Do sussex with dominant white exist?

Could just be the picture, the legs on the white one seems to be yellow.. sussex are white skinned which is dominant. If the legs on the red one is also yellow, I would be extremely skeptical of them being sussex x australorp.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Both of them are roosters. Sorry. (

x2

 

[Blackberry18]

The thing about Light sussex is they're silver columbian. Australorps are either E or ER. So this kind of cross would either produce birds looking same as black sex links and/or same black sexlink pattern in silver.

So how come one bird is solid white and the other shows dominant white being present. In theory a solid white white sussex with dominant white could throw a solid white with australorp but it would be impossible for that pairing to produce that red and white bird. Do sussex with dominant white exist?

Could just be the picture, the legs on the white one seems to be yellow.. sussex are white skinned which is dominant. If the legs on the red one is also yellow, I would be extremely skeptical of them being sussex x australorp.

All right, thanks! Always love to learn more about chicken genetics. I have never heard of a pure white sussex, much less with a dominant white gene, but I do see your point. Sussex have pinkish white shank color, which as you said, is dominant, and Australorp have grey (is that dominant or recessive?), so the yellow legs doesn't fit in with that cross. I would think that the hybrids have different parentage.

 

[BantamLover21]

Both look like roosters to me, too.

 

[Kev]

All right, thanks! Always love to learn more about chicken genetics. I have never heard of a pure white sussex, much less with a dominant white gene, but I do see your point. Sussex have pinkish white shank color, which as you said, is dominant, and Australorp have grey (is that dominant or recessive?), so the yellow legs doesn't fit in with that cross. I would think that the hybrids have different parentage.

Black/grey legs on blacks(and blues) are a side effect of sorts of having E or ER. Those genes like to put the eumelanin in the legs too.. for this reason you very rarely see black chickens with any other leg color. With these, you can check for skin color by the soles of their feet which is why sometimes people ask for sole color in trying to determine what breed an all black chicken is.

If australorps are supposed to have white soles, then chances are vanishingly low for sussex x australorp to produce yellow legs.

btw- many black chickens with yellow or white legs are based on an uncommon genetic make up involving recessive black on a different E base(trying to remember, maybe it;s usually eb?). A very few ER will 'let' skin color show on the legs, I don't know how that works... it seems agreed upon universally that other-color legs never happen on E birds.