Black pullet from McMurray

[jossanne]

She is quite shy - the shyest of my 5 outside birds.

 

[dangerouschicken]

She doesn't really look like a black sex-link, but they are notoriously shy and sweet.

 

[ZooMummzy]

I don't think she's a black sex link either. Both of my BSL pullets have red and some blue/green feathers mixed in with the black.

 

[jossanne]

I held my pretty black girl for a few minutes today, and her earlobes are definitely turning white under the black. So she's either a minorca or a black andalusian. Anyone know how to tell the difference between the two?

 

[pkeeler]

My guess would be black minorca. I think Murray has both rose combed and single combed black minorcas. A white earlobe would seem to confirm it.

 

[pkeeler]

Looking back at the pictures, the comb looks more like those found on Sumatras.

I called Murray, since I also got some black birds that don't seem to be identifiable. They were stumped. They agreed that rose comb black minorca would fit what I received, but they don't breed them.

They suggested I send in a picture and they will show it to the boys in the lab. The CS rep said come hatches of various breeds throw rose combs, but usually they catch them before shipping.

 

[jossanne]

She's got a single comb. I think sumatras have black faces and combs, right? I was looking back at pics of my buff minorca that I received from McMurray a few years ago, and this pullet's comb is about the same size as the buff's was at this age... So I'm thinking minorca or andalusian. I wonder if there's any difference between the two birds, when andalusian comes in black? I read online that andalusians used to be called blue minorcas.