Mystery Chick Breed

[NatJ]

This is a mystery chick from McMurray Hatchery. It is half the size of the RIR, Wyandottes, Leghorns & Orpington. I'm guessing Old English Game Bantam. Thoughts?

I'm guessing it's some standard sized chicken, not a bantam. McMurray won't let you order just one bantam with a group of larger chickens, so they probably did not ship one for your mystery chick either.

I'm seeing clean legs (no feathers), no extra toes, no crest on the head, no muff/beard on the face. I cannot tell what kind of comb.

Maybe a Silver Phoenix?
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/phoenix.html
They are a small breed but not an actual bantam, and they have striped chicks.

Guesses on cockeral or pullet?

Most mystery chicks sent by McMurray are male. So without even looking at the photo, I would guess male. (After looking at the photo, I can't tell, because of how young it is.)

 

[tdkmom]

I'm guessing it's some standard sized chicken, not a bantam. McMurray won't let you order just one bantam with a group of larger chickens, so they probably did not ship one for your mystery chick either.

I'm seeing clean legs (no feathers), no extra toes, no crest on the head, no muff/beard on the face. I cannot tell what kind of comb.

Maybe a Silver Phoenix?
https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/phoenix.html
They are a small breed but not an actual bantam, and they have striped chicks.


Most mystery chicks sent by McMurray are male. So without even looking at the photo, I would guess male. (After looking at the photo, I can't tell, because of how young it is.)

Ok now that was my first guess. Silver Phoenix Rooster and that's what my son is hoping for. I wasn't sure if coloring matched as a chick though.

 

[tdkmom]

Ok now that was my first guess. Silver Phoenix Rooster and that's what my son is hoping for. I wasn't sure if coloring matched as a chick though.

And yes I also agree that mystery chicks are usually male.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Last year when I ordered my meat birds they sent a surprise chick and it was a beautiful pure white Large Fowl Cochin female. She's the first one that went broody but she's deadly to mess with on her nest!
The other surprise chick in another batch was a Silver Phoenix Rooster. My son loves him so I gave him his own pen with 3 Greenfire Frisian Gulls, he's quite content and has a good attitude.

 

[NatJ]

Ok now that was my first guess. Silver Phoenix Rooster and that's what my son is hoping for. I wasn't sure if coloring matched as a chick though.

The chick down looks right (McMurray has a video of the day-old chicks on their web page).

And chicks who start out that color, who grow up with the Silver Duckwing color (like Silver Phoenix), do go through some really odd looking stages as they get their feathers. It might be for camouflage when they're little, to help avoid predators (not that predators are an issue for most domestic chicks, but the wild Junglefowl also tend to have the Duckwing color, usually in gold, and they would need to avoid predators).

There's also a chance of it being a Silver Leghorn, but the leg color is wrong, and I would expect a Leghorn chick to be larger. Chick size is determined by egg size, and Leghorns tend to lay large eggs.

And I don't think it's a Dorking, because they are supposed to have extra toes.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I would also say Silver Phoenix

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

The chick down looks right (McMurray has a video of the day-old chicks on their web page).

And chicks who start out that color, who grow up with the Silver Duckwing color (like Silver Phoenix), do go through some really odd looking stages as they get their feathers. It might be for camouflage when they're little, to help avoid predators (not that predators are an issue for most domestic chicks, but the wild Junglefowl also tend to have the Duckwing color, usually in gold, and they would need to avoid predators).

There's also a chance of it being a Silver Leghorn, but the leg color is wrong, and I would expect a Leghorn chick to be larger. Chick size is determined by egg size, and Leghorns tend to lay large eggs.

And I don't think it's a Dorking, because they are supposed to have extra toes.

That's funny but true, the whole time it was growing up I kept going back and forth in my head wondering if it was the Silver Leghorn or the Phoenix.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I didn't want to take the chance of getting anymore roosters as a surprise chick my son would get attached too, so I declined any surprise chick with my meat bird order last week. Don't tell him...

 

[NatJ]

I didn't want to take the chance of getting anymore roosters as a surprise chick my son would get attached too, so I declined any surprise chick with my meat bird order last week. Don't tell him...

You could get a "surprise" chick by just adding one pullet to the order, of a breed you choose that would be a surprise to your son. But there would still be a chance of it being mis-sexed, so what you chose is probably better.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

You could get a "surprise" chick by just adding one pullet to the order, of a breed you choose that would be a surprise to your son. But there would still be a chance of it being mis-sexed, so what you chose is probably better.

They gave me an extra cornish cross! So... more food!