Buff Orp question

[Scout Finch]

I have 2 buff orpington chicks that I picked out of a 'pullet' bin at TSC. I'm not sure how old they were when I got them, but I'm guessing they are between 4-5 weeks old now. I'm wondering about one of them. One of them is a classic buff orp...the other one....looks a little weird to me. She (I'm hoping its a she) developed a very dark spot on her beak and has a few dark brown areas on her feathers. This chick is quite a lot heavier then the other one, but not necessarily a lot bigger in size. My other one may just be petite. The comb on the 'weird' chick is slightly larger, but still no color and no wattles that I can see yet. Still, my spidey senses are making me worry that I have a rooster on my hands. If I do, I'm going to be very upset since I already have an unexpected rooster out of the pair of barred rocks I purchased (again from a "pullet" bin at TSC. If I bought 4 pullets and ended up with *2* roosters I'm gonna scream!

I will post pics later (I'm at work) but thought I'd ask how much color variation can you see with the buff orps and could this mean she is a he and/or a mixed breed?

 

[Keltara]

Hi. I have 6 Buff Orpingtons. I have a blog post that shows the stages of development. You'll be able to see the pictures of the crowns and waddles at various ages and compare to your girl/boy. Hopefully this will help you to determine if it's a boy or girl. Go Here to see.

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Kelly

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Our Country Chronicles

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[Scout Finch]

Thanks for posting that link! Great pictures, btw!! Those pictures set my mind to ease with regard to the combs...I noticed that at 5-6 weeks, your girls had different looking combs from one another...some were larger than others. But, I'm still wondering about the dark beak and the dark blotches on the feathers. None of yours had that! I will post a pic tonight!

 

[Keltara]

I look forward to seeing the pictures.

Kelly

 

[Scout Finch]

Showing this one for comparison purposes. Confident that I have a buff orpington pullet here.





Not so confident about this one!! ACK! Notice how different they are?! And they came from the same "buff orpington
pullet" tub at TSC! See those dark places on the feathers? I've not seen any photos of buff orpingtons with dark brown areas on their feathers.



Like this....



And this....

 

[CarolinaGirly]

I was wondering the same thing! I bought 4 Buff Orpingtons and 2 of them have the dark feathers coming in at the rear and on their necks! I was thinking perhaps they are a Buff mix? I bought them with Barred Rocks, and perhaps they are a cross of that. I really want to know because it will help with purchasing chicks/identifying my own chicks later. Thanks for any info!

 

[Keltara]

Hi Scout (Love the user name you choose by the way: To Kill A Mockingbird)

Number one is a Buff Orpington. Number 2 is definitely NOT a Buff Orpington. Not only are the feathers the wrong color, but also her legs are yellow. Buff Orps have flesh colored legs. I'm not sure what you have there.

Kelly

 

[Scout Finch]

Ugh!

Keltara, do you at least think she is, in fact, a she? Although I wanted buff orps, I can live with something else as long as it's not a roo! I already got a surprise roo from Tractor Supply. :-( The last thing I need is another one!!

 

[Keltara]

Ugh!

Keltara, do you at least think she is, in fact, a she? Although I wanted buff orps, I can live with something else as long as it's not a roo! I already got a surprise roo from Tractor Supply. :-( The last thing I need is another one!!

Well? I'm not too sure about it. Their crowns and waddles are awfully red and prominent. They're not shockingly big though so that's whats throwing me. I think they could go either way. The size, if you have their age correct, looks promising on the girls side. But the color is quite male. Give it some time. If they do wind up being males, and you can check back with me in a week or two with more photos, but if they are males, I know a source where you can get the MOST beautiful pure breed Buff Orps. She's another BYC member and if I had known about her before I got my girls, I would have gotten mine from her stock.

Kelly

 

[Scout Finch]

Any other opinions about there about the actual breed and sex of my mystery TSC chicken?!