Skin is Sex-linked?

[HollyParks]

Hello, I was just reading on cross breeds when I came across a few articles and posts that said dark skin was sex-linked.

I have a Silked EE rooster and an assortment of hens. I also have a Silked EE hen. That hen went broody and hatched one of her own eggs as well as two others. The chicks all have black skin, extra toes, and one had feathered legs. They are all 7 weeks old now. Does their dark skin indicate that they are all pullets? How does that work?

One is clearly a Silked EE like her parents, the other a Welsummer and Silked EE mix, and the golden one is a Delaware and Silked EE mix. I’ll have to go back and find better pictures.

 

[HollyParks]

Here’s the rooster with the other Silked EE

 

[Amer]

The Silkied EE chick is hard to sex (the Silkied EE mom also has dark skin so could pass it to her son) but the other two are definitely pullets. The Welsummer cross clearly inherited the dark skin (dermal melanin) from her father but also she has sexually dimorphic coloring.
The Delaware cross actually has three sexlinked genes at play: gold, dark skin, and nonbarring. If it was male it would be silver, pale skinned, and barred.

 

[HollyParks]

The Silkied EE chick is hard to sex (the Silkied EE mom also has dark skin so could pass it to her son) but the other two are definitely pullets. The Welsummer cross clearly inherited the dark skin (dermal melanin) from her father but also she has sexually dimorphic coloring.
The Delaware cross actually has three sexlinked genes at play: gold, dark skin, and nonbarring. If it was male it would be silver, pale skinned, and barred.

That was my suspicion with the Silked EE. The other two I was definitely hoping for them to be females. Fascinating. Thank you for the information. So would this mean that my rooster could mate with any of the other hens in my flock (non-silkies) and they would be primarily sexed based off of skin color?

 

[Amer]

That was my suspicion with the Silked EE. The other two I was definitely hoping for them to be females. Fascinating. Thank you for the information. So would this mean that my rooster could mate with any of the other hens in my flock (non-silkies) and they would be primarily sexed based off of skin color?

If your hens don't have slate (grey) or willow legs, yes.

 

[HollyParks]

If your hens don't have slate (grey) or willow legs, yes.

That’s intriguing. Thank you!

 

[Amer]

That’s intriguing. Thank you!

Oh btw willow is green, if you didn’t know.

 

[HollyParks]

Oh btw willow is green, if you didn’t know.

I had to look that up I’m clearly new at chickens and chicken breeding is a new endeavor. I’m familiar with reptiles but the genetics are much more predictable and controllable. I’m learning something new everyday. Thank you for your help!

 

[Amer]

I had to look that up I’m clearly new at chickens and chicken breeding is a new endeavor. I’m familiar with reptiles but the genetics are much more predictable and controllable. I’m learning something new everyday. Thank you for your help!

Genetics are very predictable and controllable in chickens, they have a whole calculator
https://kippenjungle.nl/kruisingKip...loc:e+/e+&fgt=Sloc:s+/-,Iloc:i+/i+,Eloc:e+/e+