Hen or Roo? or is it too early to tell?

[1876 Farm]

I have 6 chicks which hatched a couple of weeks ago.

Hatched were:

• 2 black chicks; 1 with a solid black head and the other with a white mark on top.
• 1 red stripped chick
• 3 yellow chicks; 1 very light yellow with 3 black dots down it's back, 1 all yellow, 1 yellow with a red face.

I have my guesses on the crosses:

• 2 black chicks are a BCM x Barred Rock,
• Red stripped chick is a BCM x Production Red
• Light yellow is a BCM x Production Red
• All yellow - BCM x Buff Orpington
• Yellow with red face - BCM x Buff Orpington

But now wondering if they are Hen or Roo? Here's their pictures...

Light Yellow (BCM x Production Red) : (3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Long wings, little tail

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Yellow with orange face (BCM x Buff Orp) 3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Short wings, no tail

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All Yellow (BCM x Buff Orp) : (3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Out of control wings, little tail

​

Red (BCM x Production Red): (3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Pretty wings, no tail

​

All Black (BCM x Barred Rock): (3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Pretty good sized tail

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All black with white spot on head (BCM x Barred Rock): (3 days, 8 days, 15 days) - Pretty good sized tail

Any guesses on hen vs roo? Does the little tall mean roo?

Thanks,
www.wanderingcreekacres.blogspot.com​

 

[Wyandottes7]

Its still too early to tell, but none are obviously roosters at this point. Very cute!

 

[LAYINGCHICKENZ4]

Way to early to tell

 

[LAYINGCHICKENZ4]

very adorable though

 

[1876 Farm]

Thank you... I'll post more pictures after this coming weekend.. they will be 28 days by then. I enjoy watching how they change week by week.

 

[donrae]

BCM means black copper marans, right? Just checking.

If that's the case, your birds from the barred rock are sex linked. The one with the headspot is male and the solid head is female. Other than that, too early to tell.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I am thinking that the black ones are sex linked as well....all black head, female; spotted head male. You get a sex-link whenever there is a red/gold based roo over a white/silver based female.

Too early on the others.

Don't worry about tail feathers at this point as that does not mean roo. Actually, hens get in their tail feathers, and all other feathers, faster than roos do, so developing tail feathers is not a bad thing. Roos tend to look scruffy a lot longer especially in their tails...I suspicion it takes them longer to grow those glorious roo tails.

My thoughts
Lady of McCamley

 

[donrae]

I am thinking that the black ones are sex linked as well....all black head, female; spotted head male. You get a sex-link whenever there is a red/gold based roo over a white/silver based female.

Too early on the others.

Don't worry about tail feathers at this point as that does not mean roo. Actually, hens get in their tail feathers, and all other feathers, faster than roos do, so developing tail feathers is not a bad thing. Roos tend to look scruffy a lot longer especially in their tails...I suspicion it takes them longer to grow those glorious roo tails.

My thoughts
Lady of McCamley

That's not the case for these sex links, you're thinking of red sex links. Black sex links are (simplistically) a non-barred rooster over a barred or cuckoo hen. That's what we've got here.

 

[CowGrrrl]

BCM means black copper marans, right? Just checking.

If that's the case, your birds from the barred rock are sex linked. The one with the headspot is male and the solid head is female. Other than that, too early to tell.

Agreed.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

That's not the case for these sex links, you're thinking of red sex links. Black sex links are (simplistically) a non-barred rooster over a barred or cuckoo hen. That's what we've got here.

Thanks Donrae...

Okay...trying to remember/learn the genetics here...
I get the gold/red over the white....that's the red sexlink which creates white/pale yellow male chicks and the gold based/red females.

And I can understand a barred roo over non-barred hen gives the males the white dot (barring) and the females remain all black.

Question....what causes the typical Black Sex link where the males are barred and females are black with red bleed through. I thought you had to have a gold tone on the roo's side and a barred on the hen's side. Am I correct?

My error would be considering the Black Copper Maran a gold toned bird? It is considered non-barred? and thus over a barred hen to produce the white dotted (barred) males and the black females which would have no red bleed through?

Thanks. Just trying to learn better genetics (and keep it straight in an aging head).

Lady of McCamley