Mystery Chick from MM *New PICS on pg 6* - any guesses?

[bigzio]

Is it possible that one of the other chicks is the mystery chick, and not this particular one?

~ bigzio

 

[lisahaschickens]

I have definitely thought of that. It just seems so clear to me that this is the odd man out. But I honestly have no clue.

I have been blogging about the babies since day one and have tons of pictures of all of them there if you would like to look and see if one stands out to you.

http://lisahaschickens.wordpress.com

 

[jossanne]

Easter eggers come in all sizes and colors. It could be a pure white EE. There is no set color pattern for them.

It could be a splash andalusian. The chicks are not large. Is it rather small-framed? I've not had a splash chick yet, but would a splash have darker spots on its feathers already? I don't know the answers to that question, so maybe someone else does. If you look at the color description for blue andalusians in the McMurray catalog, it will explain that approximatley 25% of their blue andalusian chicks will be splash instead of blue. It has to do with genetics of the color blue. It is not a different variety, just a different manifestation of the blue genes. Splash has two copies of the blue gene, where a blue bird would have one blue gene and one black gene. Maybe you already knew that, but I couldn't tell from the responses...

Can't wait to see pics as it grows!

 

[Mahonri]

Could be an EE... keep us updated.

 

[firedove]

Lisa, MM gives you one free rare breed chick but they do not guarantee that it will be a different breed from those you already have. My friend got their "rare breed" mix and several of those he got were EE's. MM specifically states that they do not record breed or sex for the rare breed chicks they send out which to me means that they just take a random extra chick from a grouping of rare breed hatches and toss it in your order.

 

[lisahaschickens]

Hi Jossanne -

Thanks for the good info on the Andalusians. I did know that MM says that only about 50% of the blues grow up to be blue and the others can be white, black and white, or black. So, that was how I came up with the idea that this could POSSIBLY be one, but who knows. I DIDN'T know the specifics or that 25% turn out to be splash... that's good info. It must be in the printed catalog, but I have only looked online. Someone else told me that it couldn't be an Andalusian because MM only carries blues, and not splashes. Anyway, thank you! One other person did say that they had gotten a Splash Andalusian from MM before.

And, yes, it is a very small, light-framed chick when compared to all my others. By far the smallest. Since I'm new to this I've even wondered if it could be a bantam of some sort, but I don't think it's actually small enough for that. He/she is also the shyest in the whole group. All the other Amer/EEs are bold and curious.

I do have one potentially white or buff Amer/EE in my group from MM. She is MUCH bigger than Mystery Chick and looks very different and has puffier cheeks, which I assume will turn into a beard or muff or whatever. I am totally open to the idea that Mystery Chick could be a small, different-looking EE, but in my mind she would be VERY different.

I will definitely keep you all posted as he/she grows! And you are always free to follow his/her progress in more detail on my blog at http:lisahaschickens.wordpress.com if you want to see more pictures, etc.

Thanks again to everyone for the input

 

[Jeff9118]

I'm going to say it is a white giant and that its legs will willow out as it matures. It may look slim now but giants tend to grow a frame and then slowly fill them out. I have had these from McMurry and they ranged from the color of yours to a smokey grey. They didnt turn out very giant though and had a smaller frame then I expected. They did have good height. Look for the legs to start developing a green tint.

 

[lisahaschickens]

interesting, thank you, Jeff, for the good new thought. They are older now and while I still get more votes for EE, it's still hard for me to believe because this chick is still so different. The legs do indeed have a greenish/grayish/bluish tint. Here are more recent photos (age: six weeks).

He/she is still way smaller than all my other chicks (EEs, Marans, Orpingtons) and they are all the same age.

 

[Jeff9118]

Again they are much slower to mature but should eventually out grow the rest once they all hit about 6 months. Thanks for the new pics as I am thinking White Giant for sure now as its legs are willow and it is shaped like mine were at that age. Also I have ordered several Americaunas or whatever they call them from McMurry and have never got one from them that did not have muffs and a beard although I suppose its possible.

 

[lisahaschickens]

interesting! Yes, all my other Ameraucanas/EEs from them clearly have muffs/beards growing in. This one doesn't seem to and is a different shape, size, color, and personality. We shall see! And I'll update this posts with pics every so often so you all can know how it turns out! I am, of course, hoping it is a girl because I already have too many boys and can't keep them all, but I will be happy with way. I plan to keep this one no matter what, just because it's different.