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Lavender orpingtons without tails?

Discussion in 'General breed discussions & FAQ' started by PtldChick, Jul 4, 2011.

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  1. Jul 4, 2011 #1
    PtldChick

    PtldChick Chillin' With My Peeps

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    Jun 15, 2011
    Portland, OR
    I've been raising three lavender orpington chicks for five weeks now. I got them from a local breeder at 2-3 days old. They are almost all feathered out and two of them have no tail feathers. I mean none. I can feel their tail bone and no feathers are growing in around them. Like a rumpless orpington.

    Any ideas why this would be? [​IMG]

    Confused in Portland...
     
  3. Jul 4, 2011 #2
    hinkjc

    hinkjc Overrun With Chickens Premium Member

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    If they have a tailbone, they are not rumpless. It is not uncommon for slow feathering birds to get their tail feathers last. Some don't get them until they are almost mature, 14=16 weeks or longer for the sickle feathers.
     
  5. Jul 4, 2011 #3
    megalomaniac

    megalomaniac Chillin' With My Peeps

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    May 16, 2010
    Mississippi
    Been there, done that. The rumpless rooster I had had a lot of trouble with poo sticking to his rear and had a very strange gait....

    WAY too much junk introduced into the 'lavender' line a few generations ago by unscrupulous breeders. I even had a lavender hen hatched from a brown egg that ended up laying blue eggs.
     

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