Leghorn feather colours

[ibiza chickens]

Theoretically I have 10 Plymouth Rock chics and 2 white Leghorns, all living together. They are about 3 weeks old and one of the Leghorns is predominantly white with what looks like Plymouth Rock feathers. Is this colour pattern possible for a Leghorn? I bought the eggs from the internet so perhaps the lineage is not so pure as I would have liked. Any advice/opinions are very welcome.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! There are what are called barred leghorns, ie Privet hatchery sells them, but your chick looks more like Barred Rock mix, possibly a Black Sex Link rooster, White Leghorns are usually dominant white so Leghorn mix chicks will be mostly white with maybe a few dark feathers or faint barring.

 

[TwoCrows]

Very pretty birds!

Welcome to BYC and enjoy your flock!

 

[ibiza chickens]

Thanks for the info. I had suspected that the hatchery had sold me a dodgy batch of eggs. I bought 46 Plymouth Rocks and 10 Leghorns, of which 12 eggs hatched. And now one of the 2 Leghorns is a cross!! I will keep the cross and see how he(?) develops.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[gander007]

 

[Tuhmu]

and good luck with all your poultry adventures!

In my experience

, you just never know what you are going to get with hatchery birds. I ordered around 60 various breeds, and only a handful resembled anything close to what they are supposed to. I still love them just the same, but its a shame that some places let the breeds get that far off track.

 

[drumstick diva]