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Well, just to make things interesting for you, some of them can have unfeathered legs and still be Ford's babies.
Some of my crossbred chicks do and some don't and the only rooster that I have in with the hens is a Faverolles (feathered legs).
Interesting, I thought feathered shanks were dominant.
Anyhow, with Ford being blue, any blue chicks will definitely be his. It doesn't really matter, they all will be olive eggers. I plan to separate Ford later with his own ladies (when my coop is done), and hatch some babies that I know will be from him. This is just a test run for my first broody to see how she does. Any pullets that I don't want to keep, a friend of ours will be happy to take.
I was just sitting here mentally tallying all the different breeds of hens that I have crossed my Fav roo with . . . and realized that the only hen that was not also a feather legged breed was an EE. I have two chicks (pullets now) of hers and neither of them has feathered legs although one has one little teeny pin poking out as if she would like to grow a feather. Maybe the gene is passed along but not well expressed in some non-feather legged breeds?
I am still very new to chickens and certainly have only the tiniest bit of knowledge of chicken (or any) genetics. I thought the gene for feathered legs was dominant also but then I had these two flukes.
Well, just to make things interesting for you, some of them can have unfeathered legs and still be Ford's babies.

Interesting, I thought feathered shanks were dominant.
Anyhow, with Ford being blue, any blue chicks will definitely be his. It doesn't really matter, they all will be olive eggers. I plan to separate Ford later with his own ladies (when my coop is done), and hatch some babies that I know will be from him. This is just a test run for my first broody to see how she does. Any pullets that I don't want to keep, a friend of ours will be happy to take.
I was just sitting here mentally tallying all the different breeds of hens that I have crossed my Fav roo with . . . and realized that the only hen that was not also a feather legged breed was an EE. I have two chicks (pullets now) of hers and neither of them has feathered legs although one has one little teeny pin poking out as if she would like to grow a feather. Maybe the gene is passed along but not well expressed in some non-feather legged breeds?


