I bought some chicks back on March 27th, looking to add some Easter Eggers to my new flock (had bought week-old Red Sex Links, Buff Orphingtons, and Black Australorps a couple days before). I got six of them, and once I got them home, I noticed one didn't have the puffy cheeks like the others did. I just figured it was one of those who didn't inherit the gene for that stuff. Other than that, she was the same size as her bin mates, just a golden fuzzball of a chick.
BTW, bought her from Murdoch's, so I have been scouring their chick list to see if she quite fits the description for a particular breed. However, they did have at least one breed in the store that was not on their chick list (red ranger).
I am still assuming the chick is a she, until it crows or lays an egg.
The next strange thing was that she started developing a single comb. And then feathers on her legs. Just a light coating of feathers. I didn't notice the feathers on the legs until at least 3-4 weeks after getting them. She weighs much more than the Easter Eggers, and no one would say they were the same breed now, because she is just so freaking big. Her legs are very, very solid, much bigger than any of my other breeds.
Unfortunately, it is hard to tell anything about her tail, as another chick started picking on her. She lost a good deal of tail feathers to that bully. They appeared to be coming in with a tad of her reddish hue and some black. Interspersed across her back are feathers with a little black and a little white.
When I was finally able to re-introduce her to the rest of the flock, I was shocked to see that she was bigger than my Sex Links and my Buff Orphingtons, in spite of being a good week, maybe ten days younger than them. She definitely weighs more.
She is VERY friendly and mild-tempered. As in tries to fly up on the side of their outdoor enclosure to get to me. I carried her around for 15 minutes while filling buckets to water our trees yesterday. She was perched on my arm, trying to balance herself and rest against my chest. When we had to put her in another enclosure, we put her in with our baby guineas. They adopted her as their surrogate mom. She is very even-tempered with them.
I really want to find out what breed she is, as I am really impressed by the temperament. If we need to get others next year, I would like to get more like her. She would almost perch on the dust pan I would use to scrape out her pen when she was tiny, while the other chicks would panic in a corner.
I edited this to add the following pictures that give a better look at the chick's build and color.
Overhead shot. This chick is fluffy (and heavy).
A shot of some of the wing feathers that have some black mixed in.
Profile shot.
What is left of its tail. There are no solid black feathers, but some of the tail feathers do have black mixed with white and prominent body color on them.
Head shot, this chick is getting plenty of bare, pink skin showing around the eyes. All the white is still baby fluff.
The fluff that is showing up on chick's legs.
The chick is on the left, one of my Sex Links is on the right for size perspective. Remember, the unknown chick is close to ten days younger than the Sex Link.
BTW, bought her from Murdoch's, so I have been scouring their chick list to see if she quite fits the description for a particular breed. However, they did have at least one breed in the store that was not on their chick list (red ranger).
I am still assuming the chick is a she, until it crows or lays an egg.
The next strange thing was that she started developing a single comb. And then feathers on her legs. Just a light coating of feathers. I didn't notice the feathers on the legs until at least 3-4 weeks after getting them. She weighs much more than the Easter Eggers, and no one would say they were the same breed now, because she is just so freaking big. Her legs are very, very solid, much bigger than any of my other breeds.
Unfortunately, it is hard to tell anything about her tail, as another chick started picking on her. She lost a good deal of tail feathers to that bully. They appeared to be coming in with a tad of her reddish hue and some black. Interspersed across her back are feathers with a little black and a little white.
When I was finally able to re-introduce her to the rest of the flock, I was shocked to see that she was bigger than my Sex Links and my Buff Orphingtons, in spite of being a good week, maybe ten days younger than them. She definitely weighs more.
She is VERY friendly and mild-tempered. As in tries to fly up on the side of their outdoor enclosure to get to me. I carried her around for 15 minutes while filling buckets to water our trees yesterday. She was perched on my arm, trying to balance herself and rest against my chest. When we had to put her in another enclosure, we put her in with our baby guineas. They adopted her as their surrogate mom. She is very even-tempered with them.
I really want to find out what breed she is, as I am really impressed by the temperament. If we need to get others next year, I would like to get more like her. She would almost perch on the dust pan I would use to scrape out her pen when she was tiny, while the other chicks would panic in a corner.
I edited this to add the following pictures that give a better look at the chick's build and color.
Overhead shot. This chick is fluffy (and heavy).
A shot of some of the wing feathers that have some black mixed in.
Profile shot.
What is left of its tail. There are no solid black feathers, but some of the tail feathers do have black mixed with white and prominent body color on them.
Head shot, this chick is getting plenty of bare, pink skin showing around the eyes. All the white is still baby fluff.
The fluff that is showing up on chick's legs.
The chick is on the left, one of my Sex Links is on the right for size perspective. Remember, the unknown chick is close to ten days younger than the Sex Link.
Last edited:
