5 week old pullet. Breed guesses please??

[outlineacds]

Here is my 5 week old "Meal Maker" from Meyer Hatchery. She's blue/grey, has pinkish legs, and a small Mohawk.

 

[Spangled]

I've subscribed to this thread because I want to know also.

Single comb, right?

It even looks like some white near the tips of the tail feathers.

I looked at the Meyer site to see what chicken breed has a straight comb with a crest, and I didn't see that they carried any of those breeds, but I could be wrong.

Is this chick a mating boo-boo?

She is a doll, though. Very cute.

And

 

[outlineacds]

I think it's a mix myself, just like to know what it's a mix of. Yes, single, straight comb. I thought at first that her feathers just got messed up or rubbed the wrong way, but she's had the Mohawk a while now.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I would guess Cream Legbar and.....???? Something dominant black.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Spangled]

I would guess Cream Legbar and.....???? Something dominant black.

x2

To the OP (Original Poster): I'm also looking at your chick's leg color, which looks decidedly not yellow. Cream Legbar's have yellow legs, right? So, maybe a Black Australorp is in the mix because leg color is a little similar to yours? Additionally, the description of the Australorp at the Meyer site claims that their strain has white tips on the feathers as youngsters.

So that's my wild guess: Cream Legbar x Black Australorp. Ha ... or maybe a Blue Andalusian?

As for Meyer Hatchery ... good for them for catching this chick and sending her out as the freebie instead of in the someone's batch of Cream Legbars or Black Australorps. I think that even at the best hatcheries a breeding mistake or two can occur because chickens are wiley creatures sometimes and able to jump pens pretty easyily. Even just not separating chickens for the full 4 weeks can make a difference, and I think most folks think 3 weeks is good enough ... and it is most of the time.

Edited to add: Blue Andalusian, which will end up with a bigger comb (or mine did) than an Australorp

 

[donrae]

I don't think legbar....did it have a spot on it's head at hatch? I think legbar chicks should have barring. I think the only non barred offspring would be a sex link male, and this chicks looks female.

I'd send a pic to the hatchery and ask what's up.

 

[Spangled]

I don't think legbar....did it have a spot on it's head at hatch? I think legbar chicks should have barring. I think the only non barred offspring would be a sex link male, and this chicks looks female.

Wait. Maybe I am not understanding your post properly or ...? I don't know a whole lot about genetics, but if the mother of this chick was a Cream Legbar carrying barring and the father was a Blue Andalusian, why do you think a female chick would be barred? (The meal maker is supposed to be a female according to the Meyer catalog sitting here next to me.)

I am not being smart mouthed. I know you're very smart about chickens, donrae, and look forward to your educated and thoughtful posts. I am just trying to figure out why you say the chick should be barred without having to go figure out all the genetics myself.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

@donrae I look forward to your response too....I always learn something from your posts.

The bird's body shape and tuft shape remind me of the Cream Legbar...but the color of course is wrong....but...

What if the mother was the (barred) Cream Legbar and the dad the Black Australorp...wouldn't that produce sexlinks? The males barred and the females solid black?

Giving us a female, black' "Cream Legbar-ish" bird?

I don't know enough of genetics, but I could see the tuft being dominant and potentially carried by all chicks.

Looking forward to your response too.

Lady of McCamley

 

[donrae]

Sorry, of course it would be a solid female.....chemo brain

. Thanks for catching that! And I do think this bird looks feminine.

I guess she could be part, but I'd sure think whoever was breeding their CCL was keeping their stock pure. But, fence hoppers do happen, we've all seen that before.

You should ask the CCL folks how that cream gene would work on black. That's not one I've studied at all, so don't know if it would take the black down to this pretty blue or not. Be interesting what some of those genetic gurus would make of her. I'd also be interested in what the hatchery would call it!

It will also be cool to see what color eggs she lays. If she has a CCL parent mixed with a brown parent, should be green, right? And a CCL parent with a white would be blue.

 

[hope4rainbow]

I think it looks like an Andalusian (so?) in body stye looks but I know nothing about comb and leg colors on those.