Welsummers, philosophy, and a look into chicken social mores

[Hayduke27]

I just hatched my first 5 baby chicks, and with chicks comes the pondering of the universe and life in general, along with some more specific wonderings.

My rooster is a big, beautiful Welsummer. 5 chicks hatched, 2 being from a light Brahma, 2 from an Easter Egger, and 1 from a black-sex-link. All of the babies look like chipmunks, so that trait obviously carried over from dad. Will these chicks look similar as they grow as well? Is there any way to tell sex early in these cross-breeds?

I also have begin to ponder the future of my little pseudo-farm. I will likely now have a few more hens moving out with the chickens, which is great. However, the rooster is father to these hens, and my guess is he will be breeding with them. I know they don't necessarily care that much about inbreeding, but should I care? I know I shouldn't just keep breeding chickens straight down the line, and I'm not a breeder anyway, but come next spring when I want to hatch a few more eggs, should I avoid the eggs laid by the new girls, as there is some father-daughter genetic craziness going on there?

Finally, do chickens have any familial ties whatsoever? Will the mothers of these chicks (hatched in an incubator, no broody hens right now) recognize them in any way, or will these chicks be purely strangers to my current chicken community?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

[nicalandia]

I just hatched my first 5 baby chicks, and with chicks comes the pondering of the universe and life in general

Oh I ponder the same thing every time I hatch too..

My rooster is a big, beautiful Welsummer. 5 chicks hatched, 2 being from a light Brahma, 2 from an Easter Egger, and 1 from a black-sex-link. All of the babies look like chipmunks, so that trait obviously carried over from dad. Will these chicks look similar as they grow as well? Is there any way to tell sex early in these cross-breeds?

I have CL hybrid chicks They are Cream Legbar Rooster x SIlver Laced Cochins (which creates a Red Sexlink) pullets hatch reddish brown roosters hatch yellow/black or silver/black

These are my 2 pullets I am growing out

at hatch the 2 pullets are to the back left with reddish/brown faces




and I have 2 new hatched chicks they are CL x Silver Laced Wyandottes (also Red Sexlinks)

the red/brown chick is the pullet the yellow and black is the rooster

now most EEs are based on eb brown but some are e+ wildtype(chipmunk stripes like Welsummer) so in any case you can expect the same Chipmunk stripes...

he is also what a welsummer x EEs should look like(taking into account that the EE is not solid black or completely white)

Hatching pictures of CCxEE Roo

I

My rooster is a big, beautiful Welsummer. 5 chicks hatched, 2 being from a light Brahma, 2 from an Easter Egger, and 1 from a black-sex-link. All of the babies look like chipmunks, so that trait obviously carried over from dad.

now it appears you got luck this time arround as Black Sexlinks have Wheaten from their RIR Father, I know they are mostly black but thats because they get their extended black e allele from the Barred Rock mother, so they are E/eWh(Extended black/Wheaten) in your case that one chick go its wheaten gene from the RIR grand Father..

how would they usually look? like wildtype/Wheaten heterozygotes, kind of Chipmunk but not as pronounced

here from the same Cream Legbar Hybrid thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/825092/cream-legbar-hybrid-thread

The following pictures are of the CCLxRIR pullets on hatching day:

Pullet #1





Pullet #2





The following pictures at one week of age are much more definitive. You will see heavy chipmunk striping and CCL eye liner as well as the RIR center strip down the back of the head. What you will not see is any indication of a white spot on the head of these chicks.

Pullet #1


Pullet #2


Both chicks together

can your chicks be Sexed at hatch? well the Welsummer x light brahma can(silver chipmunk males and gold chipmunk females) now the other can not be sex(RIR and Black sexlinkes are Gold) and EEs come in any color(silver or gold)

the Welsummer x Black Sexlink if its a pullet will grow to be just like the pullets below..

 

[nicalandia]

Credit goes to HelplessRunner for providing such educational post and pics I use to help other people in need

 

[Hayduke27]

Wow, thanks very much for the informative response. I can see many of the characteristics you described. It looks like I might have some very pretty chickies on my hands! Now I just hope some are pullets... Oh boy!