I got fertile eggs from a breeder of BCM and blue Orpingtons. 5 hatched. I have been tracking their feathering, waddles, combs and all that stuff... I think I have these guys guessed right? Can anyone who knows these breeds well confirm for me?
I am throwing out guesses, but would love more qualified eyes confirm or contradict my guesses!
I had them banded with different color zip ties, so they each have a different color.
Green is a BCM. She has some feathering on her legs. I am guessing pullet, based on the short comb and waddles, and has copper on her neck, but no copper saddle or wing color. I don't see any sickle feathers forming?
Orange is also a BCM. I am guessing pullet for this one as well. She is almost identical to Green, above, with copper on her neck but no copper saddle or wing coloring. She also has a bit of feathering on her legs.
Yellow is a blue Orpington, with the classic grey body and dark head. I am guessing pullet for this one, too, based on her very, very short comb and waddles. The weird thing about this one is that her waddles and comb are dark grey-to-black. Odd. But, I don't see any sickle feathers forming, or shiny saddle feathers, at this point...? The only thing that makes me wonder is that she is the same overall size as Pink, who is listed below, and I am pretty certain he is a roo.
This is Purple. She is a black Orpington that somehow got mixed into the blue Orpington eggs that I got. (??) I am guessing pullet, again, due to the very short comb and waddles. I'm pretty confident that she is a pullet, as she did the egg squat for me when I picked her up to take her picture and fluffed up when I set her down.
But she is definitely an Orpington, as she has no copper on her anywhere, no leg feathers, and her eyes are dark.
Last one up is Pink, and I'm pretty sure he's a roo. I have to laugh, as I picked out their colors as only a couple days old, randomly, and the one I picked for pink turns out to be a roo. His waddles are about 1.5-2 cm long, and his comb is about 1.5 cm tall. He has some shimmery feathers growing in on his saddle, too. Yellow (above) is the same size as this one, but lacks the comb and waddle growth and the shimmery feathers.
So, that's all of them. And If I really got 4 out of 5 hatched to be pullets, I am going to be a very happy camper!
Let me know what you think!
And, in case someone is reading this down the line, in an effort to sex their own Blue Orps or BCMs, here is a link to a thread I posted back when they were 5.5 weeks old. As soon as I get confirmation (eggs, crowing) I will be sure to follow up.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ingtons-and-black-copper-marans#post_12117836
I had them banded with different color zip ties, so they each have a different color.
Green is a BCM. She has some feathering on her legs. I am guessing pullet, based on the short comb and waddles, and has copper on her neck, but no copper saddle or wing color. I don't see any sickle feathers forming?
Orange is also a BCM. I am guessing pullet for this one as well. She is almost identical to Green, above, with copper on her neck but no copper saddle or wing coloring. She also has a bit of feathering on her legs.
Yellow is a blue Orpington, with the classic grey body and dark head. I am guessing pullet for this one, too, based on her very, very short comb and waddles. The weird thing about this one is that her waddles and comb are dark grey-to-black. Odd. But, I don't see any sickle feathers forming, or shiny saddle feathers, at this point...? The only thing that makes me wonder is that she is the same overall size as Pink, who is listed below, and I am pretty certain he is a roo.
This is Purple. She is a black Orpington that somehow got mixed into the blue Orpington eggs that I got. (??) I am guessing pullet, again, due to the very short comb and waddles. I'm pretty confident that she is a pullet, as she did the egg squat for me when I picked her up to take her picture and fluffed up when I set her down.
Last one up is Pink, and I'm pretty sure he's a roo. I have to laugh, as I picked out their colors as only a couple days old, randomly, and the one I picked for pink turns out to be a roo. His waddles are about 1.5-2 cm long, and his comb is about 1.5 cm tall. He has some shimmery feathers growing in on his saddle, too. Yellow (above) is the same size as this one, but lacks the comb and waddle growth and the shimmery feathers.
So, that's all of them. And If I really got 4 out of 5 hatched to be pullets, I am going to be a very happy camper!
And, in case someone is reading this down the line, in an effort to sex their own Blue Orps or BCMs, here is a link to a thread I posted back when they were 5.5 weeks old. As soon as I get confirmation (eggs, crowing) I will be sure to follow up.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ingtons-and-black-copper-marans#post_12117836
