My White Leghorn "Pullet" is getting Buff feathers on Her (his?) Head!

[Fernchick]

What I thought was a white Leghorn pullet chick is 4.5 weeks old now, and today when she (he) jumped up onto my lap, I noticed definite BUFF colored feathers coming in on her face, head and front of the neck!! She is pure white otherwise, heavy bodied, heavy legged and not slender like a Leghorn, and she has a fluffy drooping tail.... never holds it upright like I've seen Leghorns do. The lady I got my chicks from did have Red Sex Links at her place. Could this chick be a Red/gold sex link ROO? LOL Or maybe just a mix of something? Regardless, she/he is my tamest chick and loves attention.

 

[shmccarthy]

What color are the ears? Leghorns have white ears. And they're light bodied birds, even the roosters. I'm not sure if that's a leghorn.

 

[Fernchick]

The ears don't show anything yet... no ear lobes at all, just small feathering. Yeah, I'm thinking you are right shmccarthy, I don't think it's a Leghorn either... especially since those buff feathers started emerging! I looked at lots of pics trying to find anything similar, and came across Red Sex Link rooster that was white with some buff coloring on the head and neck. I'm still hoping for a hen, since we can't have roos in this neighborhood. :/

 

[ramirezframing]

Not a leghorn, its a mix.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

It's definitely not a white Leghorn. That white feathering gene is extremely dominant and covers up any other color you mix it with, with the exception of a bit of leakage here and there. If it's a pullet, then I'd guess this is a white Leghorn cross of some description. If its a RSL/Leghorn cross, it will lay eggs like crazy.

I'm a bit suspicious that it's a RSL cockerel, too. You expect a large comb in a Leghorn, but those wattles make me nervous. That being said, Leghorns and Leghorn crosses are tricky to sex and I'd wait until you start to see some other signs, especially a rooster tail and saddle feathers (or a crow).

If it's a RSL roo, then I'd expect him to get some red feathers on his shoulders. If he gets red feathers on the shoulders, then you have a cockerel no question.

 

[donrae]

If the seller had sex link birds, your bird won't be a sex link, but a second generation mixed breed bird. The color won't be linked to the sex at all, so the colored feathers don't mean anything.

I agree it's not a leghorn, probably a mix. Post again in 3-4 weeks for a better idea of gender.

 

[Fernchick]

Thanks so much for all your input. I find the genetics info very interesting. I'll post pics again in a couple weeks. In the mean time, I'll enjoy spoiling this overly friendly chick!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thanks so much for all your input. I find the genetics info very interesting. I'll post pics again in a couple weeks. In the mean time, I'll enjoy spoiling this overly friendly chick!

One warning--if it does turn out to be a cockerel, "overly friendly" is not a good thing. In a young cockerel, it's an early sign of aggression. There are so many sad stories here on BYC of people who had such friendly cockerels as chicks--and then those birds turned on them when they hit sexual maturity.

 

[Fernchick]

Well, I reckon he'll just have to go to freezer camp! LOL

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Well, I reckon he'll just have to go to freezer camp! LOL

Wait, common sense?!?! What is this world coming to?