Jumbo CX chicks w/Black

[SunnysMama]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever had CX chicks that have one or two black feathers in their wings? I noticed when I got this batch that a couple of them appeared to have black spots on their backs but now I have about 4 or so (that I can tell) that have a little black feather in their new wing feathers and the ones with black spots on the back are still down so I don't know what color those feathers will be. They are only a week old right now but honestly, I have never seen this before and I have raised over 100 of them.

Anyone care to offer any insight!?!

I did call the hatchery and she treated me not so nicely and told me I had to send in pictures so they could show the guys in back.

 

[Mikedero]

I got mine at a local feed store and some of mine have those same spots your talking about. I know mine are meat birds based on how fast they are growing

Which hatchery did you call?

 

[Evangelina]

Last year was my first year raising broilers (Cornish Cross), I had one with black feathers, and so did my friends raising them but I don't know why.

 

[SunnysMama]

All McMurray could tell me is that it's common in young birds.

 

[redsoxs]

I have an order of 25 from Schlect Hatchery - two of them have black on them as well. I'd never seen that before.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Cornish Cross are a mixed breed, so it is not surprising that there is some slight variation occasionally. What is more surprising is that they are all so nearly identical.

It comes down to only order from a hatchery that you can trust.

As costs go up and the value of chicks goes up, maybe the hatcheries have stopped culling chicks with black feathers. Maybe that is the reason that nobody ever saw them before and that now they are coming from different sources.

Maybe the breeder has discovered a new cross that really works, but produces a few black feathers.

Whatever it is, nobody is going to publicly confess.

Everybody will know soon enough if they are CX, because if they are, they will grow like maniacs.

 

[SunnysMama]

Oh, I have no doubt that they are a broiler of some sort because they are growing quite rapidly. I had just never seen it before.

I have heard that they could be Cobb 700's but you usually don't see them from mail order hatcheries.

I don't care as long as they perform!!