Is my pullet a white Leghorn, or something else?

[JakesMama]

Hello, I have a smaller pullet in with my others and I used to think she was a white Leghorn, but so far she's not looking like my other 2 Leghorns.
When I first got Monica, she was rescued with 5 others after someone dumped them in the desert. She was a lot smaller than the rest and her wing appeared to be broken, so I separated her and put her on chick starter feed. After a couple weeks, she all of the sudden couldn't walk and was very week in her legs. I didn't know what was wrong but she was able to hobble/crawl to her water and food so I wasn't too majorly concerned. She started getting better when I switched her to non-medicated start n' grow, I figured it was the medication in the chick starter making her week.
That was all back in May/June. Now she and the other 5 are living with my original 3 hens and everything is going good. I figure she's probably a month or so younger than the rest of the flock but she keeps to her 2 friends and stays away from alpha hens.

Anyway, today I was really looking at her and my other 2 Leghorns, and she looks different in a way. Her legs and beak are a darker yellow and he legs are pretty thick, almost as thick as my Buff Orps legs. My Leghorns have long thin legs and their legs and beaks are a very pale, almost silvery yellow. All three have white ears, so I'm a little stumped and wondering is others might know. Thanks!!

Monica


Lucy and Mabel (known Leghorns)

 

[TiaRC]

Hmm I'm not sure due to the yellow legs.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

She's a white Plymouth Rock. Note the yellow legs and the white feathers over the red earlobes.

I sincerely doubt the coccidiostat in the medicated feed caused a chicken to be weak. It just doesn't work that way--all it does is slow down the life cycle of coccidia parasites. It doesn't act on the chickens themselves. I would guess your chicken had a disease, and then got over it.

It sounds to me as if her growth was stunted in some way. If she was dumped in the desert and infected with something when you got her, then that would account for it.

BTW, medicated feed ONLY works against coccidia protozoa. It will not cure any diseases.

 

[hope4rainbow]

I would say Leghorn just from the look of her but I can't see her ears well on my small screen.

I do have a question, though. Where did you get Leghorns with white legs?

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Now that I look really closely, it is tough to tell the color of those earlobes. Are they white, or red with white feathers over the top? That's your test--white= Leghorn, red = Rock.

You'll also know when she starts laying eggs. Rocks lay brown eggs.

 

[JakesMama]

She definitely has white earlobes Here's an up-close pic of her head

I wasn't sure about the chick food, I tried looking up side affects but couldn't find any, so it must have just been a coincidence that she started to get better after switching. She still tends to be week in the legs, so she sits a lot and stumbles a bit while turning or walking on the perches. Also, it was only her that was infected or the others were strong enough to fight it off with showing any problems, so I'm not sure what could have been wrong with her.

 

[JakesMama]

I would say Leghorn just from the look of her but I can't see her ears well on my small screen.

I do have a question, though. Where did you get Leghorns with white legs?

I'm not sure where they came from. My mom's coworker got 5 chicks from a friend who didn't want them anymore. So after she found homes for 2, I was able to get the 2 Leghorns and a Buff Orp. Is it uncommon for Leghorns to have white legs?

 

[doug47]

I would say a leghorn. I raise leghorns for show. I will get some with white legs and yellow legs. The white legs are silver gene.

 

[hope4rainbow]

I'm not sure where they came from. My mom's coworker got 5 chicks from a friend who didn't want them anymore. So after she found homes for 2, I was able to get the 2 Leghorns and a Buff Orp. Is it uncommon for Leghorns to have white legs?

I just know that Leghorns are "supposed" to have yellow legs as a rule for the breed. Silver showing in their genes makes some have white legs and brighter white feathers but its interesting that you got some without trying! I don't show and so don't understand how purposefully breeding their legs to be a different color is still okay, but know that people do. They're pretty though! Ours have bright yellow. Without looking at body type, I'd think a white legged bird that looks the same on first glace otherwise is an Orp, lol! From what I've read, a yellow legged Leghorn can appear lighter legged after a while because of eggs but yours are pretty white. It just surprised me that you got some without being into showing, etc. So that's my long winded response to why I asked LOL

 

[hope4rainbow]

And Monica definitely looks to be a Leghorn too! This is one of ours. She has become very sweet in the past few days after being very aloof and skittish before. She lets my kids pick her up and carry her around and roosts on me. She loves to be petted now She is now the first out of the coop in the morning looking for treats and the only who I almost trip over if I walk outside because she thinks I have something and wants whatever it is. She walked in the house last night and flew up on the dining room table looking for noms! She wasn't in a hurry to get down, or outside, either! Haha.