6 week old black chick unknown breed

[WobblyheadJones]

Hey all. I picked up my chicks at Tractor Supply (which I understand can lead to confusion). BUT, we got them straight out of the box from the hatchery, as we arrived right when the order of new chicks arrived. We got 3 from the barred rock box, but this one never barred and has developed other distinguishing features.

They had some white on their neck and underside when very little, but now they are all black with puffy cheeks, a pea comb, black legs, and incredibly dark eyes. The only non-black color on them is a single pink nail on the middle toe of each foot. They are a little bit smaller than the rest of our birds of the same age (cinnamon queens, easter eggers, barred rocks) and one of the loudest and most skittish chickies we have.

Any guesses as to genetics?

Sorry for 1 million photos. I find it difficult to take satisfactory pictures of all black birds.

 

[SilverBirds]

The black is an EE.

 

[SilverBirds]

It is very common for them to be mixed up. Sometimes they are put in the wrong boxes before shipping, others are shipped correctly but are put in an incorrectly labeled bins.

 

[WobblyheadJones]

The black is an EE.

Thanks!

The other EEs I got from the EE box that day are all in the red/brown family and none of them have muffs or beards though 2/3 do have little tufts on top of their heads. They also all have green legs instead of black. Is this just normal variation?

We were there when the straps were cut off the boxes so it definitely would have been a mix up at the hatchery and not in unpacking.

 

[SilverBirds]

Thanks!

The other EEs I got from the EE box that day are all in the red/brown family and none of them have muffs or beards though 2/3 do have little tufts on top of their heads. They also all have green legs instead of black. Is this just normal variation?

We were there when the straps were cut off the boxes so it definitely would have been a mix up at the hatchery and not in unpacking.

Easter Eggers are mixes. They have Ameraucana blood in there somewhere and the rest is any other chick breed. They typically have muffs and pea combs, but can have tufts on their heads, single combs, and come in almost any color and pattern.

 

[FunClucks]

That chick looks exactly like my black Prairie Bluebell Eggers. If TSC sourced from Hoovers hatchery, this is a possibility. PBEs have pea combs, no beards/muffs/tufts, and are basically a fancy version of easter egger that is supposed to lay bright blue eggs. All of my PBEs look very raptor like on their beaks, with a crow-like body, and the black and blue versions have full black or partial black legs. The PBEs are mixes, so colors can vary quite a bit. Let us know how she turns out! Pics below of some of my black PBEs (6 wks, 8 wks, and 4 wks).