Is she just an odd looking black star/black sex link?

[fshrchik]

So, now for my females! I bought 12 golden laced wyandotte females (hoping for at least one to have been mis-sexed and be a roo!), 3 golden comet females and 3 black sex link/black star females. Of all the dark birds, I have 4 with single combs. So, I started looking and noticing that of those 4 dark birds with combs, 3 don't have face markings - those should be my black stars. The 4th chick with a single comb has face markings, but it otherwise mainly black. What is she, I wonder? Perhaps she was put in the wrong bin at the feed store (saw that happen before!)??


Sorry it's just the back of her here. I didn't she was an odd one until later, so didn't have any specific pics of her. She's about 3 days old here.

Sorry this pic is blurry, but it does show her face markings. She is now 24 days old in this picture and all the following pictures.

This shows one side of her face and that her legs/feet are dark.

A little blurry, but shows her back.
The following picture is what one of my other black stars looks like - same age (24 days) and more typical appearance:


I have two black star that look like the above photo - typical appearance in my understanding. I have one that is almost solid black with a little bit of the coloring seen in the above photo and I figure she's also a black star. But, my odd one with the facial markings, but otherwise mostly dark with some light fluff - not sure what to make of her. There were supposedly only 3 black star in this group. Thoughts??

 

[jallny]

each chicken is different, everything seems normal

 

[fshrchik]

LOL. Guess I wasn't clear!

I wasn't speaking of atypical like there was a health problem or deformity or anything, just an odd coloration or odd markings. I guess I am also wondering is she truly a black star (in which case I got 4 when I was only supposed to get 3 - bums me out a bit as that means I got shorted on my wyandottes!) or is she an odd wyandotte with a single comb instead of a rose comb? Either way, she doesn't have the typical coloring for either breed.

 

[dretd]

Fshrchick, not sure what breed, but you chickie looks kinda boy-like. At 3 1/2 weeks there looks like some mightly pink wattles developing and there is evidence of slow feathering on the wing-bows.

The coloring looks more like your Wandottes (but Sliver Laced?)so I am wondering if this was in the Wyandotte bin. I am not familiar with Wyandottes other than just in a general sense-- any chance they can have a throw-back straight comb? Hopefully an expert on the breed will be able to help you!

 

[farmerChef]

hatchery wyandottes sometimes have a single comb, that comes from not taking out breeders with them. Looks like either a silver laced or black chick, it also looks like a roo. They usually feather in slower and the combs/wattles grow in faster and redder.

 

[SkylaSilkie]

It might of got mixed up with your breed. I thought I had 5 Pullets, but 2 sexlinks got mixed in.

 

[fshrchik]

Yes, I had read (as others have stated), that wyandottes can sometimes throw a single comb (especially hatchery ones). Thinking back, I *know* I only pulled 3 from the black star bin. But I had help getting the 12 from the wyandotte bin. I'm betting s/he was in the wyandotte bin. Yes, the facial markings look wyandotte to me - that's what I thought was weird - that with the single comb. I then started looking for single combs in my 18 girl bin and found 4. Huh, so that's when I looked into whether wyandottes ever had singles show up.

And yes, I was noticing how undeveloped his/her feathers are vs the comb/wattles. Which for a black star didn't worry me much as they have large combs/wattles compared to wyandottes, but if this is a wyandotte - hmmmm, could be a roo. I'm fine with it if s/he is indeed a he, though I would have preferred a golden laced wyandotte. There still could be one or too golden laced roos in the mix as there are a couple that seriously look a whole week younger than the others but they are all the same age.

Anyway - fun fun fun! Time will tell, but I am enjoying the guessing game and trying to figure it out! Thanks everyone! Anyone else have thoughts???

 

[Habibs Hens]

hmmm odd that chick looks just like my FCM who is only 3 weeks old and yours looks like a roo just like mine

 

[Indigosands]

Looks like the austraslorps my local feed store had, and a male. Look at those little wattles! LOL

 

[sourland]

I second the Australorp cockerel.