chickie cocktail gender guesses and breed

[subhanalah]

Thank you. I am inclined to agree. They chest bump each other and wing flap all the time, they don't do it to the other one they just peck him when he's trying to sleep on me.
It is SO hard to get pictures of them. Any recommendations?

 

[Marthab1953]

Thank you. I am inclined to agree. They chest bump each other and wing flap all the time, they don't do it to the other one they just peck him when he's trying to sleep on me.
It is SO hard to get pictures of them. Any recommendations?

Wow the chest bumping does not sound too good as that is usually young rooster behavior more then pullets. Hope not!

 

[subhanalah]

I think they are vying for top hen. Whatever they are, I'm pretty sure they are the same gender, and going off leg/feet size, I have one roo and two hens. Poor Cheeky.

 

[Marthab1953]

Although there some girls that are trying to establish who the top dog is also.

 

[LTygress]

Shyguy is definitely an easter egger. Still too early for me to tell if it's a pullet or cockerel.

The black one is definitely part black australorp.

And the third one is definitely part buff orpington.


But a quick note about blue eggs and "easter eggers". Easter Eggers are any bird that lays anything with the blue TINT in the egg, that is NOT a recognized ameraucana. And by recognized, I mean color-wise. BLUE is a recognized color for ameraucanas. So is black. But SPLASH is not. And if you breed blue with blue you get blue, black, and splash. So a splash ameraucana is... an easter egger. So SOME purebred ameraucanas are easter eggers, but MOST easter eggers are actually mixed breeds.

Beyond that you have to understand how the blue gene works when crossed with other colors. Blue crossed with white gives a lighter blue. Blue crossed with brown gives green (yeah, don't bother with your color wheel here). And blue crossed with burgundy (like Marans or Welsummers) gives olive. All of these have the blue TINT in their egg even if they are not actually considered blue eggs. And because of that, all of these are considered easter eggers, unless they qualify as a purebred RECOGNIZED color of ameraucana. Olive eggers are just a specific combination of colors to create the olive tint, but they are still easter eggers. So when someone advertises olive eggers, it simply means they offer a mixed breed that creates that specific color egg.

(Pink eggs are sometimes created by purebred Light Brahmas. And pink eggs do not contain the blue tint, so they are not considered easter eggers.)

That being said, the blue tint can get passed on for many, many generations. That's why we have such a huge variety of colors in the blue egg. If the pea comb is dominant but bred to a single comb, it can still be bred OUT by the third generation. So let's say pea comb is PP. Single comb is pp. The first generation will all be Pp. But if you breed those to each other, the next generation will have 25% PP, 25% pp, and 50% Pp. So 25% of those chicks will have single combs. And if the chicks that inherit the single comb happen to also inherit the blue egg tint, then you have easter eggers with single combs.

The fact that easter eggers are typically mixed breed - and possibly several generations into mixed breeding, they can have a HUGE variety of traits that makes them look absolutely nothing like an ameraucana, or exactly like one. I regularly have EE chicks that have yellow legs and beak, single combs, or smooth cheeks. You just never REALLY know until it starts laying eggs. And even then, it could be a challenge if it's a rooster!

 

[subhanalah]

Thanks for that explanation Tyg!
So, Shyguy is considered a splash? Either way, I LOVE the way she is feathering out!

More pics for the interested!

 

[subhanalah]

And an updated picture of everyone! The little one is a gold sex link, so no mystery there! Lol.

 

[Marthab1953]

And an updated picture of everyone! The little one is a gold sex link, so no mystery there! Lol.

The little black one looks like it might be a boy,

 

[subhanalah]

Quote:
I'm pretty sure he is! He's grown bigger than everyone else and his legs have Ben very thick since he was about a week and a half old! I love the little bugger though. He snuggles with me all day if I'd let him. ETA: and his wattle buds are already coming up!

 

[subhanalah]

Quick dust bath and a nap.
They were sham dust bathing every day on a towel or my couch, so today I spread out a blanket and dusted them and it with sand and DE. I think they like it better than just a towel lol.