Unexpected color on chick

[Worm94]

Actually I did end up going back and getting a picture of one of the darker chipmunks + the other cuckoo hen daughter (For her, it's size that makes me suspect her, since all of their chicks seem to get bigger faster) and somewhat color as well as not having any feathered feet and a single comb!
Wanted to make sure I was thorough with my update, that is.

 

[Worm94]

I have another update, sooner than I'd thought. Attached are pictures of two of the chicks, a known Brahma cross chick and one I know for a fact came out of a cuckoo barred hen.
The thing is, the two 3 week old chicks that came from the cuckoo barred hens (which I'm no longer sure are marans tbh, they may be some meat bird cross due to the size of them) are huge and their combs are larger and starting to pinken.
This to me, says that they may be roosters. Now that does sound kinda wrong, right? To my knowledge there's no way they could be boys if they weren't barred!
But there is no barring appearing on either one of them, and I know exactly which cuckoo barred hens are laying what eggs because while the Brahma eggs vary so little it's hard to tell, the three cuckoo hens have much larger eggs with distinct colors.
Also I helped one of the barred hen's eggs hatch! So I'm doubly sure. But if they are boys, doesn't that mean they've somehow come out without barring anyway?
Potential cockerel markers so far: Pink comb, big feet
Hen markers: No barring on chicks from a barred hen and a non-barred rooster.

 

[NatJ]

I have another update, sooner than I'd thought. Attached are pictures of two of the chicks, a known Brahma cross chick and one I know for a fact came out of a cuckoo barred hen.

So the Brahama cross one is smaller, has the pea comb, and has more feathers on the feet, right?

The thing is, the two 3 week old chicks that came from the cuckoo barred hens (which I'm no longer sure are marans tbh, they may be some meat bird cross due to the size of them) are huge and their combs are larger and starting to pinken.
This to me, says that they may be roosters. Now that does sound kinda wrong, right? To my knowledge there's no way they could be boys if they weren't barred!

That is... odd. I agree, a barred hen should not be able to produce sons that have no barring. But I agree that combs looka rather large.

But there is no barring appearing on either one of them, and I know exactly which cuckoo barred hens are laying what eggs because while the Brahma eggs vary so little it's hard to tell, the three cuckoo hens have much larger eggs with distinct colors.
Also I helped one of the barred hen's eggs hatch! So I'm doubly sure.

So you've pretty well ruled out the "other mother" or "mixed up which egg" explanations

Potential cockerel markers so far: Pink comb, big feet
Hen markers: No barring on chicks from a barred hen and a non-barred rooster.

That is a good summary of the problem.

At present, I would say to keep watching and see how they develop. You might have pullets that are growing their combs bigger and faster than usual. Pea combs (Brahma mix) do tend to stay smaller than single combs, so the Brahma mix is making the other chick's comb look bigger by comparison.

Can you spread out a wing and take a photo of it? Sometimes it is easier to see barring that way, if it is present (and then you'll have the photo for reference in the future, too.)

I don't really know which way to call it: pullet with big comb & feet, or cockerel who somehow lacks barring (despite his mother having it), or cockerel who has barring but does not show it (should not be possible.)

 

[Worm94]

So the Brahama cross one is smaller, has the pea comb, and has more feathers on the feet, right?

Yep!

So I did go ahead and get the wing pictures (I got one for every unusual chick I specifically believe to be from the barred hens (three, including the oldest one). The thing is there are some black, white, and blue chicks but most of them seem to be Brahma mixes of some kind. The few that aren't are probably from the barred hens and thus pullets, so I haven't included pics because those were what we expected)!

This one above is the one I assisted the hatch for, that had the dark striping on a yellow background initially.

This one is the oldest pullet, and her wings are super beautiful. I do wonder which rooster's her father because so far I haven't seen another chick like her yet.

This one's colors seem patchier and because they're lighter the camera struggles to pick them up, but I definitely don't see barring.

 

[NatJ]

View attachment 3812616
This one above is the one I assisted the hatch for, that had the dark striping on a yellow background initially.

I do not see barring in that picture.

View attachment 3812612
This one is the oldest pullet, and her wings are super beautiful. I do wonder which rooster's her father because so far I haven't seen another chick like her yet.

Of course she would not be barred, since she is a pullet, but those definitely are some interesting feathers.

View attachment 3812615

This one's colors seem patchier and because they're lighter the camera struggles to pick them up, but I definitely don't see barring.

I'm a little bit unsure on this one. Barring on gold can seem like it fades in and out, rather than being crisp lines, and I feel like I can "almost" see some lighter areas running across the feathers there. I won't say it is barred, but I also won't swear it is not barred.