Sex linked chick question

[kristin07035]

So I've read cuckoo marans chicks are sex linked...does that carry over if they are mixed breed?
I'm getting eggs to incubate ... mom is a cuckoo marans and dad is a silkie (i think partridge coloring... if his coloring maters I'll find out definitely) when they hatch will they be sex linked?

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Usually, sex-linking only works for the first generation; not if the lines get muddled from there.

 

[enola]

Cuckoo marans are auto sexing, not sex linked.

Partridge rock rooster X Cuckoo marans hen will produce sex linked chicks.

 

[Michael OShay]

Cuckoo marans are auto sexing, not sex linked.

Partridge rock rooster X Cuckoo marans hen will produce sex linked chicks.

Agreed; Black Sex Links. Male chicks will have a white spot on top of their heads, the tops of the female chicks' heads will be solid colored.

 

[kristin07035]

Agreed; Black Sex Links. Male chicks will have a white spot on top of their heads, the tops of the female chicks' heads will be solid colored.

Awesome that's great news!

 

[donrae]

Something else to look for in addition to the head spot is leg color. Niclandia, one of the genetics gurus here, posted a while back that a silkie male (black shanked) over a white or yellow-shanked female, would give female chicks with black shanks/skin and males with light shanks. Since you've got the head spot as a for-sure way to sex, it will be interesting to see if the leg color is accurate also. I have a silkie rooster I got specifically to try this but my health won't let me hatch yet---I'm living vicariously through you!

And just to be aware, the reverse (Marans over silkie) would not work. The barred or cuckoo parent has to be the female for sex linkage to work.

 

[kristin07035]

Wow thats awesome information!
Now im even more excited to see results
ill definitely post results the end of March when they hatch

Something else to look for in addition to the head spot is leg color. Niclandia, one of the genetics gurus here, posted a while back that a silkie male (black shanked) over a white or yellow-shanked female, would give female chicks with black shanks/skin and males with light shanks. Since you've got the head spot as a for-sure way to sex, it will be interesting to see if the leg color is accurate also. I have a silkie rooster I got specifically to try this but my health won't let me hatch yet---I'm living vicariously through you!

And just to be aware, the reverse (Marans over silkie) would not work. The barred or cuckoo parent has to be the female for sex linkage to work.

 

[Kev]

Something else to look for in addition to the head spot is leg color. Niclandia, one of the genetics gurus here, posted a while back that a silkie male (black shanked) over a white or yellow-shanked female, would give female chicks with black shanks/skin and males with light shanks. Since you've got the head spot as a for-sure way to sex, it will be interesting to see if the leg color is accurate also. I have a silkie rooster I got specifically to try this but my health won't let me hatch yet---I'm living vicariously through you!

And just to be aware, the reverse (Marans over silkie) would not work. The barred or cuckoo parent has to be the female for sex linkage to work.

That is true but want to add caution in this specific thread- cuckoo/barring also directly clears the shanks. The clear shanks niclandia mentions are due to the Id gene, what makes welsumer legs clear despite not being barred. It seems many cuckoo/barred birds don't have Id as non-barred progeny tend to have colored legs but then Id doesn't really get to express itself on E or ER birds as most barred birds are... It'd be better to test out this on non-barred birds.

 

[donrae]

That is true but want to add caution in this specific thread- cuckoo/barring also directly clears the shanks. The clear shanks niclandia mentions are due to the Id gene, what makes welsumer legs clear despite not being barred. It seems many cuckoo/barred birds don't have Id as non-barred progeny tend to have colored legs but then Id doesn't really get to express itself on E or ER birds as most barred birds are... It'd be better to test out this on non-barred birds.

You know, I didn't even think of that, thanks! I'd read lightly about the barring, isn't that where they're running into issues with a good barred or cuckoo Ameraucana, cause getting the slate legs is difficult? I was just thinking of being able to double check. I know niclandia was usually talking about silkies and Leghorns with this cross.

 

[Kev]

You know, I didn't even think of that, thanks! I'd read lightly about the barring, isn't that where they're running into issues with a good barred or cuckoo Ameraucana, cause getting the slate legs is difficult? I was just thinking of being able to double check. I know niclandia was usually talking about silkies and Leghorns with this cross.

Yes same sort of problem. A long long time ago I was so excited about making a black skinned, barred bird... boy was I surprised... lol The birds were also naked necked, so got to see isolated patches of black skin. Non barred siblings were totally black.. the evidence of barring repressing skin pigmentation was so clear(heh!).