Help please!!! (AGAIN) BO w/Dark Brown/Black Tail Feathers?

[SarahFish]

A couple weeks ago, I posted some pics of one of my girls trying to figure out what breed she was. Almost everyone said that she looked like a Buff Orpington. However, today I noticed that her tail feathers are now growing in a Dark Brownish-Black color. I thought that BO's were a solid buff color. She's almost 5 months old now, so I was pretty surprised to see the color of her feathers changing now. Any ideas what she might be?

You can't see the darker colored feathers in this picture, but it covers the outside 3 layers of her tail feathers.

 

[turtlebird]

My hatchery BO hens all have some black in their tail feathers. I thought I read somewhere that true buff is difficult to obtain. I still say you have a very pretty BO.

ALthough, I can't see her legs/feet. What color are they?

 

[SarahFish]

They're a bright yellow-orange color.

 

[Lbrad7]

If her legs are bright yellow you have a buff rock. As for the person who posted that its hard to find a BO without black tail feathers; I have never had one that DID have black tail feathers and I have raised both rocks and orpingtons for years. I would change hatcheries for sure. The same goes for buff rocks...they should be completely buff colored.

 

[turtlebird]

Ditto on the buff rock. My BO's have pale legs.
The tail feathers aren't entirely black, just a bit of tinting on the ends. It's barely noticeable, unless one looks.

 

[atimme]

To stocky to be a buff rock unless it has bright yellow legs. Definitely a hatchery Buff Orp if pale legs. The tail is a bit sharp but the body looks very round from this angle. The legs will tell, the photo cut them off!

 

[Jasmine1998]

This may help you. I posted the same thing. It is called smut or peppering & is not desireable but is found in hatchery birds.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=371100

 

[Granny A]

What kind of chicken is behind the buff?

 

[wordgirl]

What kind of chicken is behind the buff?

Looks like a Gold Laced Wyandotte to me.

, Granny A! Thanks for joining us!

 

[Kev]

This may help you. I posted the same thing. It is called smut or peppering & is not desireable but is found in hatchery birds.

This. Hatcheries are about quantity not quality. Faults to varying degrees are very common in hatchery stock.

Color of legs is important though- breeds are defined to have yellow OR white skin. (besides black like on silkies). Orpingtons are a white skinned breed so the legs on buffs should be white. Rocks are a yellow skinned breed so buff rocks should have yellow legs.....

However, hatcheries soemtimes mess up on skin color- selling Marans with yellow legs.. a big no no as they are a white skinned breed.