Is there something wrong with my young BSL hens tail?

[Tomwaits1863]

I have 3 black sex links, two are black and white and the third is mostly black. The whitest of the black and whites has some high and odd looking tail feathers. She's the only one so it's really noticeable, she goes head to head with the other hens of all ages but I've never seen them peck at her or pick her feathers, making this high feather so noticeable, they could be doing it when I'm not around although I don't see any obvious signs of feathers missing. She's my favorite bird I'm just wondering if this is normal and I've just never seen it on my hens before. Or maybe she's not a black sex link after all and it's something common in her breed?

 

[Tomwaits1863]

it looks like this alot, like it's not even growing from the right spot lol that's what's making me wonder what's going on with her

 

[Themellowyellows]

How old is she? I might be wrong, but im afraid she is not a she. BSL hens are usualy black and brown, roos are black and white.

 

[Tomwaits1863]

How old is she? I might be wrong, but im afraid she is not a she. BSL hens are usualy black and brown, roos are black and white.

They're 12 weeks old. If she were a he wouldn't she have a much bigger comb at this point?

 

[Tomwaits1863]

They're 12 weeks old. If she were a he wouldn't she have a much bigger comb at this point?

Also two of the black sex links have a lot of white on them, but this one here is the only one of those two with such different looking tail feathers. I thought it was strange for them to have so much white on them as well from what I've read about BSL

 

[Themellowyellows]

They're 12 weeks old. If she were a he wouldn't she have a much bigger comb at this point?

Yeah, thats what im thinking. I have seen pics of young black sex link roos, and they kind of look like yours.

Also two of the black sex links have a lot of white on them, but this one here is the only one of those two with such different looking tail feathers. I thought it was strange for them to have so much white on them as well from what I've read about BSL

Did you get your BSL from TSC? The high tail and black and white is making me think roo, its possible you can have 2 roos, you did say "she" fights with other hens right?

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

How old is she? I might be wrong, but im afraid she is not a she. BSL hens are usualy black and brown, roos are black and white.

Black Sex Links are a barred mother, with a non-barred father. The hen only passes barring onto sons, so you can tell the chicks apart because the black chicks with a white/yellow dot on the head have the barring gene and are thus cockerels, and the ones without the spot are pullets.

Usually, hatcheries use a Barred Plymouth Rock hen, and often a red rooster like a Rhode Island Red. The offspring inherit some red or gold leakage.

That being said, you could technically use almost any non-barred rooster with any barred hen, so long as nothing is going to hide the spot on the head.

I don't know if these are BSL or not, but it's not impossible that a hatchery used different birds which resulted in silver leakage instead of red or gold. But, somebody will probably tell me if a silver bsl would be impossible.

View attachment 4143626it looks like this alot, like it's not even growing from the right spot lol that's what's making me wonder what's going on with her

Funny enough, I've actually recently talked with someone on here with a BSL with an odd tail.
I take care of a neighbor's BSL hens sometimes (they're 1-2 years old, all laying) and at least one has a funky tail feather like it grew too long. So, it's not impossible for a hen to have a tail like that. I couldn't tell you if yours are indeed BSL, but I think they could be and it just might be a glitch in the hybrid. I feel like the pattern appears to be female-specific?

 

[Tomwaits1863]

Yeah, thats what im thinking. I have seen pics of young black sex link roos, and they kind of look like yours.

Did you get your BSL from TSC? The high tail and black and white is making me think roo, its possible you can have 2 roos, you did say "she" fights with other hens right?

Yes when I first introduced her to our one year old hens, she tried to attack them all, she was so tiny and she was like a little ninja, they all ran from her lol. Here's a picture of the other black and white one, she's very nice never tried to fight anyone, and the one with the high tail that sticks out like a sore thumb in the background has a lot more white. The third bsl is mostly black with a little bit of gold in the chest. The other BSL have very normal hen like tails

 

[Tomwaits1863]

Yeah, thats what im thinking. I have seen pics of young black sex link roos, and they kind of look like yours.

Did you get your BSL from TSC? The high tail and black and white is making me think roo, its possible you can have 2 roos, you did say "she" fights with other hens right?

I got them from a feed store similar to tractor supply they were labeled as black sex links

 

[Themellowyellows]

I agree with what @Not-so Slick Chicken said. Its normal for them to attack eachother while they are getting use to eachother. Did the bin you got them from specificly say that they were hens?