7 weeks and no tail feathers - normal or a breed discrepancy?

[WakaFlockaChickens]

I purchased a crested cream legbar and an olive egger (stated to be a cream legbar/black copper maran) as day old chicks, and now at 7 weeks, neither of them have tail feathers.

To make matters more confusing, my pure cream legbar isn’t really crested and has moss legs. To my understanding, legs should be yellow.

Is it due to less than stellar breeding? Late feather development? Or could they have Araucana in them? (That’s the only rumpless chicken I’m familiar with.) I am only using them for eggs so I’m not concerned about breed standard, but my curiosity has certainly gotten the best of me! Would love breed/genetic input!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'm not familiar with those breeds, but some chicks will take time to grow in their tail feathers. Since chicks go through multiple molts as they grow it doesn't make sense to put energy into making tail feathers too early.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I haven't raised those breeds myself but it is common for different chicks to feather in at different rates. Cream legbars I believe have barred rock in their makeup and barred rocks can be notorious for slow feathering.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I purchased a crested cream legbar and an olive egger (stated to be a cream legbar/black copper maran) as day old chicks, and now at 7 weeks, neither of them have tail feathers.

To make matters more confusing, my pure cream legbar isn’t really crested and has moss legs. To my understanding, legs should be yellow.

Is it due to less than stellar breeding? Late feather development? Or could they have Araucana in them? (That’s the only rumpless chicken I’m familiar with.) I am only using them for eggs so I’m not concerned about breed standard, but my curiosity has certainly gotten the best of me! Would love breed/genetic input!

They might be rumpless. And the CCLB is not a CCLB.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I haven't raised those breeds myself but it is common for different chicks to feather in at different rates. Cream legbars I believe have barred rock in their makeup and barred rocks can be notorious for slow feathering.

Mmm...I think that's false.
BRs are fast-feathering typically. I've raised a few.
And CCLBs are, too.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Mmm...I think that's false.
BRs are fast-feathering typically. I've raised a few.
And CCLBs are, too.

Maybe they are there but they're not fast feathering here! My barred rocks can be without full feathering at 6 weeks old (I have only lines from one particular breeder though, but it's common). It's extremely frustrating. We have very limited genetics here though, so I bow to your wisdom!

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Maybe they are there but they're not fast feathering here! My barred rocks can be without full feathering at 6 weeks old (I have only lines from one particular breeder though, but it's common). It's extremely frustrating. We have very limited genetics here though, so I bow to your wisdom!

That does make sense.
I think typically hatchery-quality American BRs are faster featherers.

Not saying these chicks aren't slow feathering, just that it probably is unrelated to any BR heritage.

Is that boy in your avatar one of those BRs? He's gorgeous!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

That does make sense.
I think typically hatchery-quality American BRs are faster featherers.

Not saying these chicks aren't slow feathering, just that it probably is unrelated to any BR heritage.

Is that boy in your avatar one of those BRs? He's gorgeous!

Yup that is the man himself, from my first barred rock hatch in 2020. He is a very cool dude.

 

[WakaFlockaChickens]

They might be rumpless. And the CCLB is not a CCLB.

I’m seeing a tiny bump-it of a crest forming on her head, and she seems to have the cream legbar feather coloring (to my limited understanding, at least!). She certainly looked like a cream legbar as a chick. Any clue what she might be? I find myself becoming fascinated with chicken breeds/genetics! Maybe it’s because I can’t be patient enough to just see what happens so now I’m obsessively trying to figure it out hahaha!

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Yeah the Cream Legbar doesn't look pure to me and I'm a bit confused as to why it doesn't have tail feathers. Mine had full tails by at the latest three weeks. My Marans are being a bit slower to feather out but are cockerels and have at more tail than yours right now at five weeks. Are you sure they're not picking on each other?