Cuckoo or Barred Rock?!?!

[Stephanie8806]

Okay. So.

I bought a variety of chicks this spring from our local Coastal Farm and Ranch. They order weekly from a mix of the big hatcheries. One of them was a Barred Rock. I grew up with BRs and RIRs and I felt a little sentimental.

Any hoot, our flock is now 20 weeks+a few days old, and the “Barred Rock” isn’t one of the confirmed layers. But today, we got a new egg and I was baffled as to who is could belong to. I know who lays all of our eggs so far, so this new egg was either from the BR, a Dominant Copper, a Buff Orpington, or a Silver laced Wyandotte. But this egg(pictured below) wasn’t like anything that any of these breeds is supposed to lay.

A little while into my google wormhole, I started seeing posts about how similar Cuckoos and BRs look... and now I’m wondering... did the hatchery that sent this batch of chicks confuse them?

Below ar pictures of the egg we got, as well as a few of the pullet in question. I feel like she looks like a BR, but now I’m not so sure. I have read that their feet are the giveaway, but I’m unclear on that as well. Her feet aren’t as yellow as, say, our leghorn, but neither are they as silvery as our buff Orpington.

I’m attaching a picture of the egg(which looks a hell of a lot like a Cuckoo egg), two pics of the pullet, and one that looks a bit like a jumble of feet and feathers. I took this for a foot comparison. White leghorn is on the left, BR/cuckoo in the middle, Orpington on the right.

Please help BYC community!!!!! I will also be trying to catch whoever is laying this egg in the act this week.

 

[Painted Calls]

Gorgeous egg!

You have a CM. Notice the leg color. BRs have yellow legs and feet.

 

[DougVC]

That looks exactly like my cuckoo Marans eggs.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Gorgeous egg!

You have a CM. Notice the leg color. BRs have yellow legs and feet.

Thank you! I think it’s my favorite egg so far. That’s what I’m thinking!! Seems like a weird mix up for such a big hatchery to make...

 

[Stephanie8806]

That looks exactly like my cuckoo Marans eggs.

That’s what I’m thinking!

 

[Painted Calls]

Thank you! I think it’s my favorite egg so far. That’s what I’m thinking!! Seems like a weird mix up for such a big hatchery to make...

You're welcome! It was likely the feed store that had the mix up.

 

[MarkJr]

I have eggs that look like that out of my dominant coppers. Sometimes they are very speckled, most times just like that. I’m waiting for them to settle in laying and hopefully even out.

 

[Stephanie8806]

I have eggs that look like that out of my dominant coppers. Sometimes they are very speckled, most times just like that. I’m waiting for them to settle in laying and hopefully even out.

That was the other thing I was thinking. I will have to try and catch whoever is laying that one in the act this week. I think if it comes from the dominant copper, awesome, but I think if it comes from the chicken I thought was a barred rock, I think she might actually be a cuckoo.

 

[MarkJr]

Regardless of egg..... the light color feet says coocoo Maran. I learned that the hard way. Wanted BR cockerel for the ladies. Found a CM

 

[Stephanie8806]

Regardless of egg..... the light color feet says coocoo Maran. I learned that the hard way. Wanted BR cockerel for the ladies. Found a CM

Thank you! Yes, I am still waiting on my other dominant copper. I wanted a barred rock, but my primary goal in keeping chickens is diverse colors and patterns of eggs. This was a welcome surprise, as I don’t have any other chickens this year laying speckles.