Hatchery Whiting True Blues

[NatJ]

Will post more pictures once they achieve their final form (in about 6 weeks, I presume).

Some colors of chickens will change color at later ages than that, but by 6 weeks they should at least have enough feathers to make a good guess on which ones will look alike vs. different.

 

[Medodge]

 

[fat brown hen]

Most of them feathered out in the colors predicted. They are much bigger/fluffier than leghorns.

This one has an interesting "bib" pattern. If you squint, it almost looks like the bird in the first post.

 

[Bean1028]

Was hoping for a little more color variation, but such is life. I wonder if Mcmurray sometimes interbreeds their Ameraucana flocks with WTBs. Overall, I am pleased with Mcmurray and would definitely order from them again.

I think they might. We have 7 "Ameraucanas" that came from McMurray that we assumed were Easter Eggers...when we contacted McMurrays and asked them if they knew what an Easter Egger was...they said no, they had no idea because they don't sell them. I was trying to figure out what breed my silver "girl" is when I came across a several pics that have birds that look identical or very similar to my flock...and are supposed to be whiting true blues that came from...you guessed it...McMurrays. And they do site on their Ameraucanas page that they "Our flock is selected for egg color, but it is not divided by feather color or pattern."
So, I guess my biggest question is, is there anyway to tell the Whiting True Blues apart from Easter Eggers aside from egg color?

 

[TexasBlues]

I'm ordering Whiting True Blues from Murray McMurray. The descriptions say that feather colors vary widely -- do they try to breed for different colors and send a variety, or does every batch look about the same? I'm hoping to get something that looks like the cover photo for Whitings; not sure if that's representative of the breed or something like a rare Pokemon card.
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How did your chicks turn out from McMurray?

 

[fat brown hen]

How did your chicks turn out from McMurray?

They are healthy and laying pale blue eggs! Two turned out to be roosters, but McMurray only guarantees 90% accuracy so that's alright. I've come to the conclusion that these are just Easter Eggers with a different name.

 

[TexasBlues]

They are healthy and laying pale blue eggs! Two turned out to be roosters, but McMurray only guarantees 90% accuracy so that's alright. I've come to the conclusion that these are just Easter Eggers with a different name.

Mine lay a light blue egg. I have one girl that lays a slightly darker blue and I’m hatching chicks from that hen right now.
They do have the appearance of Easter eggers, especially the bearded whitings. Easter eggers aren’t just blue eggs layers though, they can be blue, pink, green, brown. Whitings are just blue.

I did a poll on the blue egg group on Facebook to see what breeds lay the bluest colored eggs and was surprised about how balanced the answers were between ameracuanas, whiting true blues, prairie blue bells and crested legbars.

 

[fat brown hen]

I did a poll on the blue egg group on Facebook to see what breeds lay the bluest colored eggs and was surprised about how balanced the answers were between ameracuanas, whiting true blues, prairie blue bells and crested legbars.

Do you know how they stack up in terms of size? McMurray's breed page says the mature weight of a WTB hen is 5.5 lbs, while the mature weight of their "Ameraucana" is only 4 lbs.

 

[TexasBlues]

No, I’m not sure on the size differences. I would say mine are in the smaller side, smaller than my black copper marans by a lot. On FB I just asked which breeds lay the most vibrant blue eggs. And between those breeds I listed the consensus is that it doesn’t really depend on the breed as much as the individual bird.
I also have no faith in egg photos online. The blue color can be drastically changed by just the exposure or quality of light.
I do find my whiting true blue eggs to be relatively small in size ~45g. Light powder blue in color and prolific everyday layers.
I do like the variety of colors and patterns. For my flock I’m selecting towards wild types and barring for good camouflage, and no beards to help with the heat.
Here’s a link to the post:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/867651557588762/permalink/1172698203750761/?app=fbl

 

[Bean1028]

Do you know how they stack up in terms of size? McMurray's breed page says the mature weight of a WTB hen is 5.5 lbs, while the mature weight of their "Ameraucana" is only 4 lbs.

Our "Ameraucanas" (aka EEs) from McMurrays are larger than our 1 WTB from McMurrays...they're the same age, came in the same box. I can't tell you their specific weight differences, but when they perch on me I can tell the difference between the WTB & the EEs before looking at whose on me. Also, my real Ameraucana hens (from a breeder) are more than 4 lbs. They're almost a year old and are closer to 6 lbs.