Salmon Favorelle One Day Old Coloring

[flowermist]

I just hatched five Salmon Favorelles from my two male/female birds. This baby is the only one with chipmunk type pattern. Does this indicate gender? Is it normal? Mom could have possibly been bred by a different rooster but it's highly unlikely. The other babies were all born solid buff and all have five toes.

Thanks for any information regarding SF genetics.

 

[DobieLover]

It is also lacking muffs. Does it have 5 toes?
When was the hen last exposed to another rooster other than your SF? They can store semen in their bodies up to 3 weeks.

 

[Jener8or]

I think there is a possibility that the darker ones might be male. It's hard to tell for certain right now, but in 2-3 weeks you will know the cockerels will have dark brown or black feathering and the females will be lighter brown or buff colored.

 

[Jener8or]

They are cute!

 

[flowermist]

It is also lacking muffs. Does it have 5 toes?
When was the hen last exposed to another rooster other than your SF? They can store semen in their bodies up to 3 weeks.

Mom is hatchery quality so her muffs are very small. Yes, the baby has 5 toes. She escaped from her pen because her rooster mate was over aggressive with her when mating. She's an excellent flyer!! But, by that time, all the eggs were under a different broody hen. So, it's hard to know if she came in physical contact with another rooster prior to that.

I'm assuming that you don't think the baby in question is a pure Favorelle?

 

[DobieLover]

I'm assuming that you don't think the baby in question is a pure Favorelle?

I don't.
All my SF mixes from my pure SF father with the exception of one have had 5 toes.
ALL have lighter muffs/beards and feathered legs than their father.
Their father didn't have any chipmunk striping when he was a chick. He didn't develop his dark chest until a couple of weeks old. He was just a buff-colored chick.

 

[flowermist]

I appreciate your response. I was surprised to see that one have so much color compared to the other four. I just wondered if it sometimes happens.