Second Gen BB/EE Cross With White Legs

[BYCforlife]

I have 4 second gen Buff Brahma x Easter Egger chicks.

2 have orange, feathered legs, 1 has orange non-feathered legs, and one has pinkish-white, non-feathered legs. Is this just from the cross breeding or is something wrong? I know when you breed 2 crossed the outcome is "everything".

I am just confused as to why one has different legs than the others. Pictures coming soon.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Howdy! I know you from somewhere! Joking.
I crossed a New Hampshire/Delaware/Dorking got a five toed-orange-legged-large bird.

I crossed a Buff Brahma/Delaware/Dorking and got two babies; One had giant, feathered orange legs (too early to see comb) and the other had white legs without feathers on legs...

I am no expert. But Anything is possible!

Good luck!
-K

 

[Kev]

I have 4 second gen Buff Brahma x Easter Egger chicks.

2 have orange, feathered legs, 1 has orange non-feathered legs, and one has pinkish-white, non-feathered legs. Is this just from the cross breeding or is something wrong? I know when you breed 2 crossed the outcome is "everything".

I am just confused as to why one has different legs than the others. Pictures coming soon.

The chicks are perfectly fine.

The leg color has to do with body skin- all chickens have either yellow or white skin. White skin is dominant over yellow. Plus it also depends on the presence of pigments in a specific layer of skin on the legs. There is a gene that actively represses the leg pigment, also some other genes affect it as a side effect(barring and mottle for example).

Yellow body skin plus lacking the 'leg pigment'= yellow legs.
White body skin plus lacking the leg pigment= white legs.

Yellow body skin WITH the 'leg pigment' present= green legs.
White body skin WITH the 'leg pigment' present= blue/grey legs.

as for leg feathering, there are several genes for it. The variable amount of the leg feathering is merely a reflection of which ones they got.

 

[BYCforlife]

Howdy! I know you from somewhere! Joking.
I crossed a New Hampshire/Delaware/Dorking got a five toed-orange-legged-large bird.

I crossed a Buff Brahma/Delaware/Dorking and got two babies; One had giant, feathered orange legs (too early to see comb) and the other had white legs without feathers on legs...

I am no expert. But Anything is possible!

Good luck!
-K

Thanks!

 

[BYCforlife]

The chicks are perfectly fine.

The leg color has to do with body skin- all chickens have either yellow or white skin. White skin is dominant over yellow. Plus it also depends on the presence of pigments in a specific layer of skin on the legs. There is a gene that actively represses the leg pigment, also some other genes affect it as a side effect(barring and mottle for example).

Yellow body skin plus lacking the 'leg pigment'= yellow legs.
White body skin plus lacking the leg pigment= white legs.

Yellow body skin WITH the 'leg pigment' present= green legs.
White body skin WITH the 'leg pigment' present= blue/grey legs.

as for leg feathering, there are several genes for it. The variable amount of the leg feathering is merely a reflection of which ones they got.

Thanks!

 

[BYCforlife]

Very good to know!

 

[The Angry Hen]

Thanks!

Welcome!

-K