Page 1 of 1

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 3:46 pm
by windwalkingwolf
Last year I put a barred rooster over some black hens, to make some sex linked chicks. What hatched were 2 barred cockerels, 3 black pullets, and this guy, "Baldy". I guess boys like him are the reason most hatcheries only offer 90-ish percent sexing accuracy on sexlinks.
He's called Baldy because he had nothing but baby down up until very recently, despite being FOUR MONTHS OLD. Hence his bedraggled look, and his position of note as "House Chicken". Despite his immature plumage, he's been feeling his oats lately and has been clumsily attempting to mount the dog, in between bouts of using him as a ride-on toy/transportaion.
Interestingly, all the boys (including Baldy) from this cross, inherited the body type of the mother hens, deep keeled black Orpingtons...and the girls all got a more streamlined Rock shape from the father. Not sure if that was just chance/coincidence or not.
This fellow will be lunch one day, but he's endlessly amusing in the meanwhile!

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:05 pm
by WLLady
Genetic traits commonly pass from dad to daughter and mom to son in chickens...hens are zw while cocks are zz....so all girls get dads traits because he donates a z chromosome to every girl....has to do with the sex linking of many traits in chickens (like barring etc). Some breeders will plan their breedings based on this-if they want better girls use the best male over the girls...if the males are lacking then use the best hens with any male....that way the best hopefully pass to the other sex and then back breed once and get more "good" birds....

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 6:11 pm
by JimW
Interesting little guy.

Maybe I am wrong but if your crossed a barred roo with black hen, all the offspring should have been barred, no sex-linked, so he definitely is unique.

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 8:26 pm
by windwalkingwolf
JimW wrote:QR_BBPOST Interesting little guy.

Maybe I am wrong but if your crossed a barred roo with black hen, all the offspring should have been barred, no sex-linked, so he definitely is unique.
HAHAHA! I guess nobody told any of these guys how they were supposed to turn out! Dad bird IS a bit of a wildcard though, being barred: I only ever had two barred birds before him, both hens, and I'm reasonably positive he didn't come from either of those.
Baldy is special in other ways too, he's quite a bit smaller than his siblings, but weighs the same. He wasn't wasting calories trying to fly without feathers, I guess LOL
WLLady wrote:QR_BBPOST Genetic traits commonly pass from dad to daughter and mom to son in chickens...hens are zw while cocks are zz....so all girls get dads traits because he donates a z chromosome to every girl....has to do with the sex linking of many traits in chickens (like barring etc). Some breeders will plan their breedings based on this-if they want better girls use the best male over the girls...if the males are lacking then use the best hens with any male....that way the best hopefully pass to the other sex and then back breed once and get more "good" birds....
Interesting! I have a dreadful example of a Black Giant rooster which sires TERRIBLE god-awful males, but some of the best pullets I own. Very shortly I'm going to find out what he throws over his pullets as well as their mothers, and hopefully I'll start getting some useable boys out of him. If not, I have a decent rooster that throws ugly girls but ok boys!

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:55 pm
by Brian
I like your chicken coop. You went all out. Put down flooring, put in a wood stove for heat and gave them a kitchen table to eat at.

I like it.

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2016 10:00 pm
by windwalkingwolf
HAHAHAHA! Clean linens daily, and even room service! Never do anything halfway, I always say :D

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:20 am
by WLLady
Oh, and i also should add, that your barred male wasn't double barred (pure) if he threw non-barred girls....

Baldy the Weirdo

Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 8:23 am
by Robbie
JimW wrote:QR_BBPOST Interesting little guy.

Maybe I am wrong but if your crossed a barred roo with black hen, all the offspring should have been barred, no sex-linked, so he definitely is unique.
This is true if the rooster is pure for barred - he will be light barred B/B. If he's heterozygous, only half barred, B/b+ he will be dark barred, (looking like a barred hen) hen, and half his chicks will not be barred b+/b+