This SHOULD produce Auto-Sexing chicks, right?

[theuglychick]

I've got a couple dozen eggs set to hatch out, most are Cream Legbars (CL), but some are CL X Cuckoo Maran (CM) crosses (CL rooster over a CM hen).

The chicks of both these breeds were auto-sexing. Cuckoo cockerals were almost a light silvery color, while pullets were much darker and richer, which proved true even with juvenile coloring. Same thing with the CLs, I was immediately able to tell the cockerals from the pullets, even with downy color.

Do any of you have experience with this cross? Could you share pics of the results of chicks and adult birds (if you have them). It SHOULD be an autosexing cross, right? Or is there some important piece of information that I'm missing?

Any help and information would be most appreciated!

 

[Pyxis]

Not necessarily. Even with purebred CCLs, if the autosexing trait isn't selected and bred for, it stops working. So by mixing in another breed and further muddying it up, you're likely to not get autosexing at all.

If you want to make some sex links, put a non barred, non white rooster over your barred hens, and all the offspring will be sexable at hatch. The trait will not continue to the next generation.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I plugged in the genetics for each breed using this info:

https://sites.google.com/site/creamlegbarsonline/genetics

http://www.bevsmarans.com/cuckoo.html

Theoretically your males will still be double barred and have one copy of silver and one copy of gold, but I don't know how that will look phenotypically. The genetics calculator says both sexes will be silver but I wonder if there will any gold leakage in the males that help with sexing before the down comes in. I suspect you will still be able to use the head spot to make a guess, though.

 

[theuglychick]

Not necessarily. Even with purebred CCLs, if the autosexing trait isn't selected and bred for, it stops working. So by mixing in another breed and further muddying it up, you're likely to not get autosexing at all.

If you want to make some sex links, but a non barred, non white rooster over your barred hens, and all the offspring will be sexable at hatch. The trait will not continue to the next generation.

Thank you, @Pyxis, I figured it was too easy and therefore, too good to be true. I'll keep y'all updated on what pops out, IF I get them to hatch (new incubator and new broody).

Thank you again for your time and expertise!

 

[theuglychick]

I plugged in the genetics for each breed using this info:

https://sites.google.com/site/creamlegbarsonline/genetics

http://www.bevsmarans.com/cuckoo.html

Theoretically your males will still be double barred and have one copy of silver and one copy of gold, but I don't know how that will look phenotypically. The genetics calculator says both sexes will be silver but I wonder if there will any gold leakage in the males that help with sexing before the down comes in. I suspect you will still be able to use the head spot to make a guess, though.

Thank you, I had no idea that such a magnificent tool exist! I will keep y'all posted in 21 or so days as to what pops out!

Thanks again for your time and awesome resource!

 

[LilJoe]

I thought to mske sex linked chicks from a barred bird the hen had to have the barred gene and the Roo couldn't ?

 

[Pyxis]

I thought to mske sex linked chicks from a barred bird the hen had to have the barred gene and the Roo couldn't ?

That is true. With autosexing, though, which is different, both the hens and the roosters are barred in the breeds mentioned above.

 

[theuglychick]

Ok, I've got three biddies that hatched out.

All are very dark and kind of mottled black with a white dot on the head.

We shall see what they turn out to be.

 

[theuglychick]

Now that they're all dried I can see some differences in the chicks.

2 are very large and fluffy with a grey tint and in an almost make out a chipmunk pattern. I'm leaning towards that these could be cockerels.

One is jet black, less fuzzy, and with no discernible chipmunk pattern. I'm thinking this could be a pullets.

I guess we shall see as they feather out.

 

[theuglychick]

Just and FYI Update: looks like this cross could be auto-sexing if I'm right about what I have.

The two larger and paler-downed chicks appear to be cockerels, but again, they're only just over 3 weeks old, so not 100% sure yet.

Their barring is coming in strong. Their combs are already showing more development and they're just larger all around. They also spar a lot with one another.
Big barred chick 1

Big barred chick 2

The one little one still appears to be female, much daintier, darker, and without discernible barring. Also no comb development. No sparring observed.

Little black chick