jenvander
In the Brooder
- Mar 18, 2017
- 21
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I've read many an account of "the one that was a little smaller and got the feathers later and ended up a rooster". I'm not sure what the timeline is, since some anecdotes insist that the feathering difference is only within the first few weeks and others say the size and feathering difference persisted for a bit longer.
Is it possible to accidentally get a bantam at random versus purchasing one bred as such? I would think so, being that this is how one manages to breed such things, by isolating a trait.
By runt, I mean a regular chicken with delayed growth that may or may not result in overall size difference, but without being an actual bantam.
We've named this one Pax, as s/he is very calm and friendly with humans. S/he is definitely assertive enough to get a fair share of the food and treats and I've not seen any evidence of getting picked on or being too passive. Pax is quite clever, the smartest of the bunch. We have three Buff Orpingtons and two Black Australorps.
Here is a picture of Pax next to one of the other buffs that is developing normally; they are three weeks old:
The other chick here is Sunrise. Sunrise is the biggest. Not pictured here is Fussy, who has earned his/her name
Pax currently weighs 151g, Fussy is 172g, and Sunrise is the head honcho at 204g.
It's not the size that seems such a big deal to me since Pax continues to thrive and grow. It's the feathering difference that I find unusual. Pax has always had nubby wings and gets the feathers much later than Sunset and Fussy.
We've all fallen in love with Pax's human-friendliness and clever antics so if s/he's a roo, then I'm going to have a roo even though I hadn't wanted one
Is it possible to accidentally get a bantam at random versus purchasing one bred as such? I would think so, being that this is how one manages to breed such things, by isolating a trait.
By runt, I mean a regular chicken with delayed growth that may or may not result in overall size difference, but without being an actual bantam.
We've named this one Pax, as s/he is very calm and friendly with humans. S/he is definitely assertive enough to get a fair share of the food and treats and I've not seen any evidence of getting picked on or being too passive. Pax is quite clever, the smartest of the bunch. We have three Buff Orpingtons and two Black Australorps.
Here is a picture of Pax next to one of the other buffs that is developing normally; they are three weeks old:
The other chick here is Sunrise. Sunrise is the biggest. Not pictured here is Fussy, who has earned his/her name
Pax currently weighs 151g, Fussy is 172g, and Sunrise is the head honcho at 204g.
It's not the size that seems such a big deal to me since Pax continues to thrive and grow. It's the feathering difference that I find unusual. Pax has always had nubby wings and gets the feathers much later than Sunset and Fussy.
We've all fallen in love with Pax's human-friendliness and clever antics so if s/he's a roo, then I'm going to have a roo even though I hadn't wanted one
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