The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: manian on February 03, 2013, 10:41:15 am
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morning all
just wondering if anyone can tell me which chickens are sex-linked so i can tell what they are at a day old
i tried seaching but so far have found complicated genetic pages ::) ::)
thanks
manian
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True Cream Legbars are auto-sexing so when you breed a pure CLB male with a pure CLB female the boys will come out palish and the girls will come out stripy brown. They lay blue or turquoise eggs -for more info and piccies see www.blue-eggs.co.uk (http://www.blue-eggs.co.uk/) also there are links on that site to other auto-sexing breeds such as Welbar etc - just steer away from Old Cotswold Legbars which aren't really what they say on the tin :D
The auto sexing breeds were brought to the fore between the wars when Prof. Punnett was experimenting for egg producing lines which could be sexed at hatch to save on rearing costs - this was based on the fact that thebarring genes give a head spot hence the names ending in "bar" Brussbar from the Brown Sussex, Cambar from the Campine Dorbar from the Dorking Legbar from the Leghorn Marbar from the Marans Welbar from the Welsummer and so on. These were then bred on for generations till the traits were fixed and they bred true.
From my somewhat slim genetic knowledge sex-linking is when you get a brown/red bird and cross it with a black/white/silver bird and the pullets should predominantely take the males colouring and the cockerels the females. You have to be sure of the genetic purity of the parents for this to work successfully. I think this is how most modern hybrids are produced nowadays.
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I have been used to using the pin feathers - it is quite obvious which is which but because I never ring them & i keep them all anyway I just know the hatch is 4 girls & 2 boys etc
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Pin feathers ?
tell more
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think i may experiment this year and photo my differing colour chicks and see whay they end up like.
we keep the boys till they crow anyway but it would be nice to know before that...... we've had a couple of 'strutting' early developers th\t turned out to lay eggs!!!! and some the other way around :excited: :excited: :excited:
thanks
Mx
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The pin feathers doesnt work for every breed of chick but the male's wing pin feathers would be longer than the female's.
Its very obvious when you have one of each type together for comparison and its only really obvious on day olds.
As well as the length if the pin the way the tiny feathers spread at the end are also indicators.