Hidden Bantam Gene?

[shg81]

Hi All,

We recently picked up 2 easter egger chicks from a local breeder. The breeder said they are both from standard-size EE's, but one of them (now 9 weeks old) is bantam size, half the size of the other. Do surprise bantams ever hatch from full-size parents??

 

[QueenMisha]

Not generally. Size is an amalgamation of genes. There are dwarfism genes but these are very rare. My guess would be either you were given the wrong breed by accident or the bird is a "failure to thrive" and is not growing as it should.

 

[shg81]

Hmm- breeder has not fessed up to any possibility that I was given a bantam by mistake (though she did offer to trade it out). At first I figured failure to thrive and that it wouldn't last, but it is not almost 10weeks, fully feathered, and acting like a typical chicken. Guess I may never know!

 

[aart]

Could be a cross of LF and bantam.