Color Sexing of Day-Old Brown Leghorns

The Relationship Between Plumage Color Phenotypes and the Presence of Black Melanin in the Abdomen of Broiler Chickens: Study 1

“…The females usually carry a higher degree of black melanin in the dark-striped areas than the males. In fact, MacArthur and Macllraith (1946) used this differential in shade of striping to sex Brown Leghorn chicks with a high degree of accuracy. There would seem to be two possible explanations of such a sex-limited effect.…”

Buff Brahma, an Autosexing Breed of Chicken

“…Several long-established breeds, most of which do not carry the sex-linked barring gene, have been reported as natural autosexing breeds: the Barred Plymouth Rock (Jerome, 1939); the Silver Barnevelder and Silver-Laced Wyandotte (Pease, 1945); the Rhode Island Red and New Hanson, 1961 Hampshire (Jaap, 1946;Kosin, 1950); and the Brown Leghorn (MacArthur and Macllraith, 1946;Carr, 1952). The cause of sex distinction in these breeds, with the exception of the Barred Plymouth Rock, is unknown.…”