eye eye theyre all supposed to be rhodies

[walldanzig]

Got some Rhodies hatching at the moment and two of them are out but one of the blighters is black with a bit of yellow on his crown. Am I missing a trick or is it as I suspect not a rhodie pictures below any help appreciated
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[CoraxAurata]

Hmm looks like you've got RIR crossbred babies - if they are both from the same breed of hens then you've got a boy and a girl there though I can't remember which way round it is.. as the eggs are pale I would guess at RIR hens with maybe a Maran cock (though the latter is pure guess) which -and this is scraping the barrel for half remembered stuff as my chicken mentor (who breeds RIRs for showing) is currently unavailable, would make the gingery one a girl and the other a boy... I know that a RIR cross Maran (I think RIR cock) makes a hybrid called by (the main breeder in UK) Bluebelle -a very productive and bonny blue-grey hen... RIR are often crossed to make the hybrids and are sex linking...
Marans can also be sex linked (dark chick with different sized light spot on head dep on gender - in the cuckoos anyway) but I'm ony suggesting them 'cos I'm a maran keeper/enthusiast really.... I'm pretty sure those aren't both pure bred RIR chicks but I have been wrong in the past... though the ginger one could well be pure RIR.

[Hilary B]

I don't know how it works for other crosses, but a RIR cockerel to white (or nearwhite) hen is the basis of the typical 'brown hybrid layer' type. Their brothers would have been white if they grew up. At hatching the hen chicks are definitely darker in colour than the cockerel chicks (which hatch pale yellow/cream). It is often called "silver-gold" sex linking, but I think the hens are actually ginger......
My guess would be that if the cockerel is darker than the hen, the hen chicks will be darker than the cockerels, but it may only work for a very small number of crosses....

[CoraxAurata]

Hi I happened to be reading this the other day and managed to find it again - its kind of wordy but the index is useful and Hilary Bs thoughts are covered about halfway down P11, but I have no idea what happens if you use two different groups of sex linked breeds together (i.e. barred (maran) and silver gold(rirX)

RIR chicks should be ginger often with faint striping

hope it helps...


http://www.oznet.k-state.edu/histori...pubs/SB307.PDF

[walldanzig]

Thats great thanks I now have 3 yellow ones and two black ones.

[walldanzig]

Just had it confirmed from the fella I got them from they are rir x Maran his son took them out of the wrong pen. Never mind they are still as cute as anything they will just have to go in a seperate pen from the others. Does anyone know which would be the boys and which are the girls

[Hilary B]

'classic' sex linked crosses, the hen chicks take after Daddy....... No idea if this applies to the cross you've got.

[MaureenHall]

Just had it confirmed from the fella I got them from they are rir x Maran his son took them out of the wrong pen. Never mind they are still as cute as anything they will just have to go in a seperate pen from the others. Does anyone know which would be the boys and which are the girls

Don't know how to sex them, but RIR x Maran makes Bluebelles I'd be dead chuffed (if I didn't mind not getting the ones I ordered of course). Is the breeder going to let you have some of the ones you ordered at a reduced price then?

[walldanzig]

hes giving me some for nothing =0)

[rachd26]

I can't help at all with the breeds- but they are really sweet! Congratulations!

[MaureenHall]

hes giving me some for nothing =0)

oooo lucky you

[Crundy]

Don't know how to sex them, but RIR x Maran makes Bluebelles

Or "Miss Pepperpot", as my Mabel is

Edit: Oh, wait, it's actually RIR x Barred Plymouth Rock. Ignore me.

[bluemoon]

Haven't a clue about sexing them, but they're so cute.

[CoraxAurata]

Ok, just did a huge write up to why I couldn't be sure which way 'round they are when it all clicked into place (the bits of info I know but haven't put together that is) - so I deleted it and started again.

The Maran Dad is probably Copperblue/Copperblack or just Blue (Coppers haven't entirely taken over the planet <g>)
rather than cuckoo
The Bluebelle hens have to grow from black or grey chicks and the boys do usually take after Mum and the girls dad so in short black= girls Ginger=boys

PS the name Bluebelle is actually a trademark of Meadowsweet poultry, other names for it include Trelawney Blue (they have a speckley version too)...

Goodluck hope you've had some more girls

[walldanzig]

got 7 but I got a problem if anyone has any ideas then I would appreciate it two have hatched and have some kind of chord and sac attached they seem a bit week but are cheaping. I put them in the brooder as they dry out better. HELP what should I do