Will an Australorps-Bielefelder hybrid retain autosex ability?

[lyndon]

And does it make a difference which in the pairing is male and which is female? Thanks.

 

[BGMatt]

No. If you use an Australorp (or any other solid color) male and a Bielefelder (or any other barred) female, the pullets will be solid color while the males are barred, but that may or may not be recognizable at a day old and in either case would only be a sex-link.

Auto-sexing is caused by males having a double dose of the barring gene, while females can only have one copy. That is why any Crele patterned bird such as the Bielefelder is so easy to auto-sex. Straight barred birds as in Barred Plymouth Rock can be auto-sexed too, but the difference is not as obvious when the pattern is extended black as it is on wild type (as in Crele)

 

[lyndon]

Thanks, Matt. That clears up a lot for me.

 

[lyndon]