Cream Legbar x Cuckoo Marans

[Amer]

Your Cuckoo Marans are not as pure as your think they are. The 10-20% gold Legbar looking chicks are from a Legbar Hen that is carrying a recessive color pattern. The Cuckoo Marans should carry two coppies of the "Extended Black" [E] primary color parttern. If they are pure for the [E] gene they only will be able to pass on the [E] color pattern with produces a black chick and is dominant to all other color patterns in chickens. What you have is one or more hens that is only carrying on [E] gene and one of the other color patterns (wheaten [eWh] that produces yellow chicks, Wild type [e+] that produces chipmonk striped chicks, Partridge [eb] that produced chicks with a darker colored head than the rest of the body, etc.) A hen with a recessive gene will pass the [E] to 50% of her offspring and they will be black and a recessive to 50% of the offspring and they will look like gold legbars.

As far as the gold goes, it would be expected that all the offspring would be gold (and not cream). It is not likely for any Cuckoo Marans to carry the cream gene. With our a cream gene from both sides of the pairing the chicks will come out gold. Cream is recessive and only shows in the plumage when the bird has two copies of the gene.

You are correct with the pullets being darker from one barring gene and the cockerels light from two barring genes.

Oh yeah, all would turn out gold. I was thinking about the dilute gene which is actually dominant.

 

[HensOnOxney]

Have any pics of those chicks?
As chicks or adults?
Extended black is dominate but doesn't completely cover everything like is said in the books.

Yes, I will post some today

 

[HensOnOxney]

Yes, I will post some today

Poor photo I’m afraid but this is how the few gold ones turn out and as chicks have the chipmunk stripes but more ginger than a Cream Legbar.

 

[Nadinthecountry]

Just came across this thread - I have just hatched some chicks from cuckoo maran hen and cream legbar roo - will these be different colours for male/female chicks?
I hadnt realised the cuckoo maran has this trait.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[magentaraven]

That’s amazing, thanks so much for the response! Fascinating stuff this genetics, if incredibly complicated!

Take a look at the post I just did. My Marans have a crest on their heads…