Black Australorp?

[Mariyta]

We received a "black australorp" roo from a friend. He's a total sweetie, but he's not all that black. Is he an australorp at all? Or did we end up with something else?

 

[Chicken Strut]

Are there some tan or brown feathers underneath? If you're referring to the green and purple iridescence showing up on the black - that's a trait of BA chickens, especially the roosters.

 

[Mariyta]

There's a lot of reddish brown feathers on his head and back. I'm used to the iridescent feathers on black chickens, but he definitely has a good amount red/brown in him.

 

[Chicken Strut]

Ah, something else mixed in with the BA somewhere along the line then.

 

[StarMeKritten]

Australorps should have dark colored legs and white skin too.

 

[Chicken Strut]

True! I should have noticed that. Black feet with white toenails, pretty distinctive. Here's the feet of my BA pullet;

 

[Mariyta]

Hmm, I wonder what we ended up with. We haven't been able to figure it out yet. He looks nothing like anything we've seen before. Came in a batch from Murray McMurray.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Possibly a partridge rock rooster.

 

[Chicken Strut]

Could you ask the friend what the order from McMurray was supposed to consist of? Then narrow down from there?

 

[Mariyta]

It was a batch of brown egg layers. About a quarter of them ended up being roosters.