Need help identifying my birds.

[TwilightGal0424]

I recently bought a breeding pair of what I was told was Blue Wyandottes. I was happy about buying them and posted a pic on my Facebook page. A friend commented that they looked like Orphintons. I looked up online and to me they look like orphintons, with the grey feet. So I contacted the guy who sold them to me. He was a small operation but he was breeding birds and selling them. He questioned it at first, since he raised orphintons too. Then When I told him about the feet and the combs being different, he said he thinks he may have given me the wrong birds. I ask him to check for the wyandottes to see if he still had them. Later that evening he texted and said he was pretty sure they are wyandottes. It was like he didn't want to deal with it. To say the least, I won't be dealing with him again. Now, I don't know if he was giving me the correct hatch date or not and I am not confident they are wyandottes. So far I can't find any grey/blue wyandottes with grey feet. I should have done more research before picking them up but I guess I didn't expect to be sold the wrong birds. Can someone please identify these guys for me? They aren't full grown but was told their hatch date was May 4, 2015 but who knows if that was correct. They are still fairly small. I wanted wyanddottes because I have some others (different colors) and like the mid-sized birds vs. the large breed birds. It's easier to have all the same size birds. I have had some buff orphintons in the past but had to sell them due to they were beating up older birds in my flock, in fact they killed one. I am not sure if color makes a difference in temperament but didn't really want orphintons again due to my experience. Any comments would help. I will probably keep these no matter what they are but I would like to hatch some eggs from them and if I sell the chicks I want to make sure to sell them as the correct breed.
Thanks for the help.

 

[donrae]

First problem is that cockerel has a straight comb. If you're breeding Wyandottes, and he is indeed one, he's definitely not breeding stock. What type of comb does the pullet have?

My only thought is to check foot pad color and see what color skin you're dealing with. Orps will have white, Wyandottes will be yellow. You can go from there dealing with the seller, but either way I'd be returning the birds and dealing with someone else. Anyone who sells you a bird with the wrong comb as part of a breeding pair is just cranking out birds, not really a breeder.

 

[Chicken Girl1]

First problem is that cockerel has a straight comb. If you're breeding Wyandottes, and he is indeed one, he's definitely not breeding stock. What type of comb does the pullet have?

My only thought is to check foot pad color and see what color skin you're dealing with. Orps will have white, Wyandottes will be yellow. You can go from there dealing with the seller, but either way I'd be returning the birds and dealing with someone else. Anyone who sells you a bird with the wrong comb as part of a breeding pair is just cranking out birds, not really a breeder.

x2

 

[TwilightGal0424]

Well, I checked feet, pads on bottom of both birds are white. The pullet has a very small come but it seems to be a single comb.
I think the seller is not even willing to talk to me anymore so I am stuck with them.
Can you tell me why the roo is not breeding stock? I would like to know so I can make a better choice next time. They are only 2 1/2 months old at this point.

 

[donrae]

Well, he may be a perfectly nice Orpington. I say continue to pursue the seller, don't let him blow you off.

If you plan to breed birds, you should do some research on your chosen breed first. One of the main characteristics of a Wyandotte is a rose comb. A bird with an incorrect comb (in this case, straight), should never be used as breeding stock. You want your breeder birds to be as defect-free as possible. Overall shape, comb style, leg color, etc should all meet the breed standard.