- Jun 27, 2015
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So, I have some d'Uccle chicks that I bought from Ideal in August, in an attempt to get blue mille fleur. I got no blue mille fleur.... They may be splash mf, but I've heard through the grapevine that they are probably gold necks. Anyway, I sold all but the best, and I've been growing up four. Occasionally I think one has yellow bottoms of her feet... but then I can't find it when I look. I kept a male and three females... I thought. But one of them keeps confusing me. One day I'm sure it's a girl, the next day I'm positive it's a boy. Strange, since the others are obvious, and I'm usually pretty good at sexing chickens.
Today I went out and took a good look at the four of them, and I found the one with the yellow. Got my camera to take a photo and realized when looking through the lens - it has a pink foot and a yellow foot. Odd. Well that explained why I couldn't find it - I was probably just looking at one foot and seeing the pink one! I mean, who expects different colored feet? I thought about it while I did chores, wondering what sort of genetics could possibly result in two different colored feet. All I could come up with was a chimera. So I went back out and looked at the baby with that in mind. And wow, I could see a difference! It's early, and the males and females of gold neck d'uccles don't look super different at this age yet, other than combs, but there does seem to be a marked difference between the sides. I'll post some photos and try to remember to update as Janus grows (my kids suggested the name, since Janus is the god with two faces).
First, here are the feet. I'll call the right side the rooster side and the left the hen side. See how the left has a smaller boned pink foot? And the right foot is huge. The leg bone structure on that side is much heavier too. You can click on the photos to see them in a larger size. (btw, it doesn't have bumblefoot - that's just dirt)
Here are the side views (yes, this is the same chicken). The first shows the left side, the side with the smaller pink foot. This side is less patchy, more the same shade of orange. Every time I see that side, I'm sure it's a girl. The second is the right side, the one with the larger boned yellow foot. You can see the darker patches of orange on this side, much more like a rooster. Just for comparison, you can see the known roo in back on the left and a known hen on the back right. Every time I see that side, I start to question myself and think it's a roo.
Lastly, here is a closeup of the head on each side. The left, or hen side, is first. Note that the serrations on the comb are not as deep. The right side has much deeper serrations, that go all the way to the head. Also note: in the first photo, the beak looks slightly curved towards you. The "roo" or right side has a slightly longer beak, resulting in a slight bend towards the shorter left or "hen" side.
And here are all four. The chicken in question is in the lower right, lying down. The right, or "roo" side is darker on the back. It's really an interesting situation. I can't wait to see how Janus develops.
Today I went out and took a good look at the four of them, and I found the one with the yellow. Got my camera to take a photo and realized when looking through the lens - it has a pink foot and a yellow foot. Odd. Well that explained why I couldn't find it - I was probably just looking at one foot and seeing the pink one! I mean, who expects different colored feet? I thought about it while I did chores, wondering what sort of genetics could possibly result in two different colored feet. All I could come up with was a chimera. So I went back out and looked at the baby with that in mind. And wow, I could see a difference! It's early, and the males and females of gold neck d'uccles don't look super different at this age yet, other than combs, but there does seem to be a marked difference between the sides. I'll post some photos and try to remember to update as Janus grows (my kids suggested the name, since Janus is the god with two faces).
First, here are the feet. I'll call the right side the rooster side and the left the hen side. See how the left has a smaller boned pink foot? And the right foot is huge. The leg bone structure on that side is much heavier too. You can click on the photos to see them in a larger size. (btw, it doesn't have bumblefoot - that's just dirt)
Here are the side views (yes, this is the same chicken). The first shows the left side, the side with the smaller pink foot. This side is less patchy, more the same shade of orange. Every time I see that side, I'm sure it's a girl. The second is the right side, the one with the larger boned yellow foot. You can see the darker patches of orange on this side, much more like a rooster. Just for comparison, you can see the known roo in back on the left and a known hen on the back right. Every time I see that side, I start to question myself and think it's a roo.
Lastly, here is a closeup of the head on each side. The left, or hen side, is first. Note that the serrations on the comb are not as deep. The right side has much deeper serrations, that go all the way to the head. Also note: in the first photo, the beak looks slightly curved towards you. The "roo" or right side has a slightly longer beak, resulting in a slight bend towards the shorter left or "hen" side.
And here are all four. The chicken in question is in the lower right, lying down. The right, or "roo" side is darker on the back. It's really an interesting situation. I can't wait to see how Janus develops.
