Gender Guess- 3 week light sussex has me stumped

[Jayteetee]

PLOT TWIST for anyone following along.. it’s not even a light sussex! I questioned the breeder & sent updated pictures & it’s supposedly a splash barnevelder.
What do you all think? Do you agree? Still thinking pullet or does this change based on breed?

 

[NatJ]

PLOT TWIST for anyone following along.. it’s not even a light sussex! I questioned the breeder & sent updated pictures & it’s supposedly a splash barnevelder.
What do you all think? Do you agree? Still thinking pullet or does this change based on breed?

For gender, I do not think the breed change will make any difference.

I am not sure that chick is a Light Sussex or a Splash Barnevelder. The patterns of colors in the feathers look wrong to me for both options, but I don't think there is any way to know for certain yet. Many chicks get different patterns in their feathers at different ages, so it will be interesting to see how this one looks in a few more weeks and months.

I'm not sure what color the legs are in that picture, but Sussex should have white legs and Barnevelders should have yellow legs (Leg color could rule out one of the possible breeds, but will not prove whether the chick does belong to the other breed.)

 

[Jayteetee]

For gender, I do not think the breed change will make any difference.

I am not sure that chick is a Light Sussex or a Splash Barnevelder. The patterns of colors in the feathers look wrong to me for both options, but I don't think there is any way to know for certain yet. Many chicks get different patterns in their feathers at different ages, so it will be interesting to see how this one looks in a few more weeks and months.

I'm not sure what color the legs are in that picture, but Sussex should have white legs and Barnevelders should have yellow legs (Leg color could rule out one of the possible breeds, but will not prove whether the chick does belong to the other breed.)

It’s got pale yellow legs.. not as yellow as my blue barnevelders though. Flick back a few pics to see this chick standing

 

[NatJ]

It’s got pale yellow legs.. not as yellow as my blue barnevelders though. Flick back a few pics to see this chick standing

Ooh, one of those tricky ones.

Chickens with the genes for white legs can have light yellow ones sometimes, partly caused by what they have been eating. And chickens with the genes for yellow legs can definitely have light yellow legs or even white ones, caused by a different selection of things they have been eating (and for adult hens, also caused by laying eggs: the color goes into the egg yolks instead of the legs).

I'll fall back on "see how it looks as it grows," which is a frustrating but common thing when dealing with puzzling chicks.

 

[Jayteetee]

Ooh, one of those tricky ones.

Chickens with the genes for white legs can have light yellow ones sometimes, partly caused by what they have been eating. And chickens with the genes for yellow legs can definitely have light yellow legs or even white ones, caused by a different selection of things they have been eating (and for adult hens, also caused by laying eggs: the color goes into the egg yolks instead of the legs).

I'll fall back on "see how it looks as it grows," which is a frustrating but common thing when dealing with puzzling chicks.

Thank you so much for all the knowledge! I learn so much from here. I do enjoy the mystery though- as agonising as it is

 

[Jayteetee]

Some updated pics taken today. Seems it might be getting the sussex feathers over the neck? It’s wattles look pink so I’m leaning towards a roo let me know your thoughts.

 

[NatJ]

Some updated pics taken today. Seems it might be getting the sussex feathers over the neck? It’s wattles look pink so I’m leaning towards a roo let me know your thoughts.

Male vs. female: you might be right, but it's not obvious enough for me to be sure yet.

Feathers on neck: to me, it is looking like Delaware feathering. The color pattern is almost the same, but Delawares have white bars across the feathers and Light Sussex do not. So on Delawares the black parts are broken up into little dots, or crosswise stripes on the wings, while Light Sussex have more black and the pattern on the neck just looks different (more like black feathers with a white line around the edge of each one.)

If the chick has white legs, it cannot actually be a Delaware, but that is what the color looks like to me. So maybe it is a mix (Light Sussex mixed with Delaware could produce a chick with those traits, but quite a few other crosses could too.)

 

[Jayteetee]

Group hugs comb looking more pink & feathers look dark on back almost 6 weeks.

 

[LaFleche]

Group hugs comb looking more pink & feathers look dark on back almost 6 weeks.
View attachment 3821636

Not a pure light Sussex nor a pure Barnevelder.

Maybe a mix of the two or a Delaware.

 

[Jayteetee]

Not a pure light Sussex nor a pure Barnevelder.

Maybe a mix of the two or a Delaware.

This is fascinating. It came from a reputable breeder who we’ve bought from before. I don’t think she breeds Delaware. I’m starting to think maybe one of her Roos jumped into another pen