The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Hatty on November 21, 2011, 06:31:26 pm
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I hatch some chicks about 4 weeks ago, :chook: :chook: they are light sussex x exbat. I have 2 different colours which I am presuming is male/female difference, when born some were yellow with black wings & facial markings and some plain yellow.
As their proper feathers are now coming through, the yellow and black are black and white, the plain yellow are white, My question is will they stay this colour or will they change again as they get bigger.
Probably a really silly question but this is all still really new to me ;D
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As ex battery hens are a hybrid it's unlikely that the sexing by colour thing will work like it does with a 1st cross like RIR x LS.
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I don't know enough to tell if your two colours are sex-linked, from that cross.
But yes, the colours they're now acquiring they'll keep :)
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As you have used a siver cock on gold hen they will not be sex-linked, they will both be silver and the cock will be split for gold.
The black will come from the sire having the columbian gene. As most commercial hens have the genes Db/I, this can cover the black.
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cock will be split for gold.
not really sure what you mean by this? ???
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Silver and gold are on the sex gene, hens only have one so can only be silver or gold but not both. Cocks have 2, and can therefore be gold, silver or split (having both). As silver is dominant to gold it is described as being silver (as it is visual) split for gold (which is hidden). It is sometimes written as silver/gold or S/s+.
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Thank you clucking nuts that makes it a little clearer I think ??? lol I'm sure I'll get my head round it eventually these were just a bit of an experiment to make sure the incy was working, plus give me a few new hens for next year and the boys are destined for the freezer