is this a barred plymouth rock?

[melspeepers]

My peepers are about 5 weeks old and are developing differently... this is my first experience with chickens so I wanted to ask some experts. The chick on the right looks different than my other bpr chicks (on the left)... sorry the pic is blurry! Any thoughts would be much appreciated! Also, there are brownish feathers coming in around its neck...? Rooster?!?

 

[chooks4life]

Really doesn't look like a barred anything. What other breeds did the breeder keep? If you got them off a breeder... But either way, it's totally lacking any spots that I can see.

 

[melspeepers]

I ordered them from a local farm supply store. They ordered from 2 different hatcheries. I got, or was supposed to have gotten, 4 barred plymouth rocks, 4 rhode island reds and 4 buff orpingtons. All of the others look like the pictures in my research... I noticed that this particular chick developed a bit faster than all the others. I'm looking for egg layers so I'm worried about having a boy in the girls locker room... know what mean?

 

[chooks4life]

I don't know of any rhode island chooks with black legs. It's definitely not a barred rock, it's also definitely not a buff orp. Since it came presumably from the same place though, maybe a black orp? Most Orp breeders I've met keep multiple types of Orps, not just one color. But with red neck feathers it's not purebred.

If you can get a better pic of it and possibly another one for comparison of age development etc I should be able to tell you if it's a roo. Due to the amount of crest both chooks are showing in that pic, you might have two roos, since you reckon they're only about 5 weeks.

Depending on the type of feathers coming in on the neck, that will 'sex' them pretty clearly, though some hens have a very, very similar type of neck hackling to a rooster. Some keep plain short rounded baby feathers on their necks but not all. If I had to guess I would say you have a buff cross black orp there. But it could be anything... Just not what you paid for, lol.

Not sure what you mean about a boy in the locker room, unless you mean you're worried about keeping a chook that isn't paying its way. If you do end up with a roo it shouldn't impact on their laying one way or another; fertile eggs are good eating too.

 

[ramirezframing]

Can you get a better picture? Sounds like it might be a black sexlink, but in the picture your barred rock looks more cuckoo than barred

 

[melspeepers]

Thank you for the info! Hopfully this is a better picture... we are calling this baby Darth Peeper.

I was hoping to catch some of the brownish feathers coming in on its neck. I am hoping that having possible roosters in my hen house won't mess with my production of non fertilized eggs. I'm not looking for more babies. Like I said, I'm new to the world of chicken raising so any and all suggestions or info is awesome.

 

[chooks4life]

Hard to tell from that photo, but at least if it is a roo it won't be messing with your supply of unfertilized eggs anytime soon. There is a particular structure to rooster feathers on the neck that hens don't get (unless they're so imbalanced hormonally that they are completely rooster looking); if you compare this bird to your others and notice any different structure it's a good sign it's a roo. While females can also get those fancy neck feathers that have fringing to them with a narrow centre of normal feather type, roosters get very long fringes in comparison. I hope that makes sense, lol. If a boy that age is 'getting his roo feathers on' you will likely also see the shoulder/wing ones and rump hackling starting to emerge. They're a lot different from normal feathers. Anyway, best wishes.

 

[ramirezframing]

could very well be a black sexlink pullet

 

[lilliesanchicks]

could very well be a black sexlink pullet

Chicks get mixed up all the time at feed stores ,people pick them up and put them back anywhere.

 

[sparky chicken]

The one on the left looks like a BPR mix, but I don't know about the other.