Who's my mommy?

[labelo]

My dad's idea of closeups

I'm pretty rubbish with comb identification in young chicks, and these pics aren't the best, but am I right in thinking 5 has a rose comb? So by comparison, is 2's a pea comb? or straight?

 

[NatJ]

I'm pretty rubbish with comb identification in young chicks, and these pics aren't the best, but am I right in thinking 5 has a rose comb? So by comparison, is 2's a pea comb? or straight?

5 looks like a rose comb to me in that photo.

For 2, I think single (straight) comb is more likely, but I can't completely rule out pea. It does look too narrow to be rose.

My dad's idea of closeups

 

[labelo]

An update:

Sadly, mama hen and three of the chicks went missing. The chickens free range, and it seems a fox or hawk got 1, 3, and either 2 or 4

Fortunately, my parents found and were able to catch the three remaining chicks, 5/6 and either 2 or 4, and they're staying in the brooder/separate from the others until they're big enough to integrate with the rest of the flock.

Pictures aren't great, but give you a sense of how their color is changing.

3 weeks:

4.5 weeks:

5/6 (the lighter colored ones) still seem splash, which would mean they are the EE's chicks.

Is the red that's coming in an indication that they are females? (They should have been sex-linked, mom was silver, dad is red/gold) Or could that just be red leakage? I feel like red leakage usually shows up when they're older, but I don't have much experience with backyard mixes like this. The chance for more green eggs would be great!

 

[NatJ]

Is the red that's coming in an indication that they are females? (They should have been sex-linked, mom was silver, dad is red/gold) Or could that just be red leakage? I feel like red leakage usually shows up when they're older, but I don't have much experience with backyard mixes like this. The chance for more green eggs would be great!

For the one that is almost solid red, that is definitely red/gold, not leakage.

For the other two, I think it is also red/gold, not leakage, but I am not as sure about them as I am about the one with the most red.

 

[labelo]

For the one that is almost solid red, that is definitely red/gold, not leakage.

For the other two, I think it is also red/gold, not leakage, but I am not as sure about them as I am about the one with the most red.

Thank you! Yes, I should have been more clear, the one that is almost entirely red is one of the chicks that was born chipmunk colored. We're not sure who mom is for that one (it could have been a black star or the EE; if it's the EE she's sex-linked and definitely a she since she's red, but if it's the black star it could be either, and her comb is straight, so no help there), so color doesn't help in this case, unfortunately.

The two that are mostly white with a bit of red are the ones that I'm *hoping* are splash/red rather than splash/silver with red leakage. After a couple of years of unsuccessfully trying to raise a rooster (they had one rooster turn out to be a pullet and two others snatched by hawks) my parents are now inundated with them (the hatchery sent several extra cockerels in their last order) so all the fingers are crossed that these three are pullets!

 

[labelo]

For anyone curious, one of the lighter color chicks (5/6) turned out pullet, the other cockerel. Unfortunately, I don't have updated pictures of either, as the pullet disappeared and the cockerel found a new home, and my parents clearly weren't invested enough in this genetic journey to take a picture first! lol

Main take-away: trying to spot sex-linked silver vs. golden is tough in splash chicks!

The mostly red chick (either 2 or 4) has grown into a mostly red bird, with just the tiniest bit of blue pattern/undercoat. She has a single comb and yellow legs, and hasn't started laying, so no word on egg color. It's still unclear whether she's the EE's chick or the sex link's. However, because she's such a dark red, I'm inclined to think she's Mh/Mh for red over gold rather than split Mh/mh. If that's true, she's the sex link's chick.

Unless we get an unexpected green egg from this lady, that's it for our updates!