When setting eggs under a broody...

[NatJ]

If what I’ve read and remember is correct, a chick with Barred blood will produce a spot on its head if male. Please correct me if I’m wrong. At this point I’d be very tickled to be wrong.

You're partly right and wrong.
When chicks have a barred MOTHER and a not-barred FATHER, they can be sexed by which ones have a dot on their head.

But a barred FATHER can pass the barring (and the head-dot) to his daughters as well as his sons. Since your rooster is a mix, with only one barred parent, then he can pass barring to about half of his chicks. (And some of the others may have gotten it from their mothers, but you won't know which are which.)

Also, purebred Barred Rock chicks can have dots on the heads in both genders.

So don't give up on all those dotted-head fluffy chicks yet. If you've got 7 with dots, I'll predict, um, 2 pullets in there (because I always assume less than half will be the gender I really want.)

 

[Mimi13]

You're partly right and wrong.
When chicks have a barred MOTHER and a not-barred FATHER, they can be sexed by which ones have a dot on their head.

But a barred FATHER can pass the barring (and the head-dot) to his daughters as well as his sons. Since your rooster is a mix, with only one barred parent, then he can pass barring to about half of his chicks. (And some of the others may have gotten it from their mothers, but you won't know which are which.)

Also, purebred Barred Rock chicks can have dots on the heads in both genders.

So don't give up on all those dotted-head fluffy chicks yet. If you've got 7 with dots, I'll predict, um, 2 pullets in there (because I always assume less than half will be the gender I really want.)

Thank you for the in-depth explanation. There is a lot more to chicken genetics than meets the eye.

I like your prediction much better than mine, but I’m still gonna hope for a few more pullets.

I guess we will know in 3-4 more weeks what these little darlings are.

Thank you again.

 

[WannaBeHillBilly]

@Mimi13 What are the ducklings saying to the chicks?
And vice versa?
OK, regarding what Petey thinks the chicks are, i have a premonition…

 

[Mimi13]

@Mimi13 What are the ducklings saying to the chicks?
And vice versa?
OK, regarding what Petey thinks the chicks are, i have a premonition…

As far as the ‘chicks’ go, I don’t think the ducks have had any real interaction with them yet. I shut the party down fairly soon after I saw the babies in the duck lot the other day. I was being serious when I said it appeared to be a frat party gone wild. I had to video a little of it before I played bad cop. And, it was difficult to run all the trespassers out!

I’m going to take up the big bowl of feed I have out for the ducks when I open up the pen today so the chickens don’t just stand in there and scratch or bill it all out. Crazy birds!

I’m pretty sure you’re thinking the chicks would be crunchy snacks for Petey. I have two different chick ages and the smallest ones are just a week old. Petey may do a double take if she sees them.

 

[duluthralphie]

As far as the ‘chicks’ go, I don’t think the ducks have had any real interaction with them yet. I shut the party down fairly soon after I saw the babies in the duck lot the other day. I was being serious when I said it appeared to be a frat party gone wild. I had to video a little of it before I played bad cop. And, it was difficult to run all the trespassers out!

I’m going to take up the big bowl of feed I have out for the ducks when I open up the pen today so the chickens don’t just stand in there and scratch or bill it all out. Crazy birds!

I’m pretty sure you’re thinking the chicks would be crunchy snacks for Petey. I have two different chick ages and the smallest ones are just a week old. Petey may do a double take if she sees them.

Did you put up signs?

Chickens keep out
——————————
No chicks allowed
————————
You must be hatched before 3/15/2020 to be here
—————————————-
Warning Dux area

—————————
Chickens Beware Dux know to inhabit area
———————————

Chicks escape now or
Petey could eat you
———-

Keep Out
Dux Waste Dump
————————-

Chickens are very law abiding and would follow any warning sign you put up.

 

[Mimi13]

Did you put up signs?

Chickens keep out
——————————
No chicks allowed
————————
You must be hatched before 3/15/2020 to be here
—————————————-
Warning Dux area

—————————
Chickens Beware Dux know to inhabit area
———————————

Chicks escape now or
Petey could eat you
———-

Keep Out
Dux Waste Dump
————————-

Chickens are very law abiding and would follow any warning sign you put up.

Yeah right. My chickens must be utter heathens then, as they follow only their rules!

But, you do make some other valid points!

 

[Mimi13]

And a bit of sad news from yesterday morning. When I went to the coop to let Gabriela and her six chicks out I noticed a fluff of black feathers laying in the shavings. Yep, it was a dead chick. The one with the most feathers on its legs.

Now here’s the clencher and a public service warning. The chick had long feathers wrapped all around its neck. It was entirely entangled in three feathers from Gabriela that were ‘glued’ together at the ends with the tiniest piece of poop (shown in second picture.) This chick either strangled itself or broke its neck trying to get free as all three feathers had been plucked from Gabriela. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this would or could happen. Another thing that I’ve noticed about my broodies is once they get up and about with the chicks, they are all gung ho and go to scratching like crazy. Chicks are covered in shavings, dirt, etc. or worse yet, get kicked a few feet themselves. Before I got to this little dearly departed, Gabriela had scratched and kicked it up against the coop wall. If it wasn’t dead already it was for sure then. Nature can be so brutal at times.

 

[Mimi13]

In other sweet news though, both broodies seem to have scuffled and worked out whatever it is and are both sleeping in the little PF Coop with their chicks at night. PF=pre-fab.

Here are a couple of cute pictures:
Gabriela and her five chicklets.

Mrs. Biggles and only one of her three. The other two are underneath her.

 

[NatJ]

Gender comments:
a) That chick sitting on top of the naked neck hen has quite a comb--maybe cockerel?

b) If you're curious about the gender of the chick that died: testicles can be found inside a male chick from a very early age. Probably look like yellow grains of miniature rice, right inside the middle of the back.

 

[Mimi13]

Gender comments:
a) That chick sitting on to of the naked neck hen has quite a comb--maybe cockerel?

b) If you're curious about the gender of the chick that died: testicles can be found inside a male chick from a very early age. Probably look like yellow grains of miniature rice, right inside the middle of the back.

You know, every single one of the NN’s chicks look male. All have huge feet and the combs really stand out. Yay me!

And, I almost checked that little one just to see what it was, but thought nah, I’ll let it go unknown. In hindsight, I wish I had.