Help, I have not been able to identify breed or sex.

[Nurfsmom]

This chicken is almost 5 months old and I still don't have a clue. It has blue/grey legs, beak, comb, etc. Not only can I not identify the breed, but can't determine if it's male or female either. I've been calling "it" Graycie. Any clues? Thanks!!

 

[Tookie]

Where did you get it? Not sure on breed but it is a pullet.

 

[3KillerBs]

Did you get it from a hatchery or feed store where you could expect it to be a pure breed or is it a backyard bird that could be a random mix?

I'm a beginner at genetics, but if it's a backyard mix I wonder if it *could* just *possibly* be a cross between a fibromelanistic bird like an Ayam Cemani and something dominant white like a Leghorn?

@NatJ @MysteryChicken Would one of you know if I might be on the right track or way out in left field?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yes, that looks like the typical effect of one copy of dominant white over an otherwise black-plumed bird. Dominant white being leaky, it often lets some flecks of black through when only one copy is present. At 5 months old she is a pullet. There are so many hatcheries and backyard breeders doing 'designer breed' crosses nowadays that it's hard to say exactly what she is other than some sort of crossbred hen with a fibromelanistic breed in her background somewhere. Knowing where she came from might narrow the possibilities down some, though.

 

[NatJ]

Did you get it from a hatchery or feed store where you could expect it to be a pure breed or is it a backyard bird that could be a random mix?

I was wondering the same thing.

I'm a beginner at genetics, but if it's a backyard mix I wonder if it *could* just *possibly* be a cross between a fibromelanistic bird like an Ayam Cemani and something dominant white like a Leghorn?

@NatJ @MysteryChicken Would one of you know if I might be on the right track or way out in left field?

Yes, I think you're on the right track for the color genetics.

Unfortunately, I don't know what kind of chicken it is.
It is wrong for every pure breed I can think of, but could easily be one of the recently-developed mixes from some hatchery. Or it could be a mix from someone's backyard flock. Or it could even be a pure breed I am not familiar with.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Looks like maybe a Fibro Easter Egger, or maybe a Mosaic. Possibly an Ayam Cemani mix.

These are only a few guesses.

For determining gender, can you get a good clear picture of the saddle area?

 

[FreedomFarm13]

@Nurfsmom Your bird looks EXACTLY like a "Smokey Pearl" chicken my mom got from TSC this spring. She is a pullet, and yours definitely is as well. She only got 1 (out of 3) that got the dark face like this, though. The others have the more usual pink combs and faces. If you did get your bird from a feed store or from Hoover Hatchery (which is where our TSC gets their chicks) then I would assume that's what you have here. She's lovely!

 

[Nurfsmom]

Tookie, pipdzipdnreadytogo, NatJ and Mysterychicken.......Thank you so much for your input. Very interesting. I will try to get a better picture for you.

3KillerBs: I purchased her from TSC as a California Tan.

Lindsey: I did indeed get Graycie from TSC. I had questioned her being a Smokey Pearl, but the gray beak, comb, etc,, threw me off. Thanks for your reply. Janet aka/Nurfsmom

 

[3KillerBs]

Tookie, pipdzipdnreadytogo, NatJ and Mysterychicken.......Thank you so much for your input. Very interesting. I will try to get a better picture for you.

3KillerBs: I purchased her from TSC as a California Tan.

Lindsey: I did indeed get Graycie from TSC. I had questioned her being a Smokey Pearl, but the gray beak, comb, etc,, threw me off. Thanks for your reply. Janet aka/Nurfsmom

Aha! The mysterious California Tan and Smokey Pearl -- the hatchery hybrids with almost no info or photos of adults available.

 

[MysteryChicken]

If indeed a Smokey Pearl, she'd have ghost barring. A good look at her plumage pattern will determine if she in fact a smokey pearl.