One of my welsummers is lighter than the others

[serprise]

[FONT=arial, helvetica]Hi all, I just got 5 welsummers and one of them is a lot lighter than the others. I'm no expert but I'd guess the other 4 are pullets from what I've read but the one in question I can't decide. It seems like it can go either way, I'm hoping it is a pullet as well[/FONT]





I went ahead and grabbed it to take a side shot, the line by its eyes isn't as pronounced as the others chicks either. I'm really hoping it isn't what I'm afraid of and it just happens to be a lighter colored bird is all






thank you so much for taking the time to look at my pics and I appreciate your response(s)

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have had a Wellie roo before and the comb will be a giveaway - turning red much faster than the pullets. I wouldn't go by chick color!

 

[pinkchick]

Did you purchase them from a breeder? If you did then I would say that it is a cockerel going by the lack of eyeliner markings and the "V" marking and the head and neck.

Is the "V" on this chicks head a bit more fuzzy and less defined as the other 4 chicks "V"s?
Does it kind of fade out and lighten just before it comes off the neck and down to the shoulder area? I cannot tell for sure in the photos.

If you purchased them from a bin at a feed store there is chance it could be another breed of chicken.

 

[Coop Deville]

It might be a "light" Wellie hen. I have one, too. I picked mine from a bin labeled 'Welsummers' because she was uniquely lighter than the others, but then I began to worry whether she was actually a Wellie or maybe even a roo because she was so different in appearance.

It turns out that some Wellie hens, especially hatchery ones, are born with a genetic variation that makes them lighter than others. In my case, my light Wellie also was smaller than her peers. Breeders don't like this coloration. For "regular" chickeners like myself it doesn't matter.

For comparison, my avatar shows my "normal" Wellie hen (the bigger one) and the one with the disfavored "light" genes (little one) as chicks. Both 100% Wellie hens, though. I'm pretty sure my light one also lays lighter-colored eggs than the "normal" Wellie (which lays the classic, dark, terra cotta-colored eggs).

There's a website that talks briefly about "light" Wellies, beginning about halfway down the page:

http://wcna.webs.com/apastandard.htm

I was so concerned about my "light" Wellie possibly not being a Wellie that I started a thread about it a few months ago. Turns out it's just this genetic variation. No need to worry unless you're a serious breeder.

 

[serprise]

well just in case I went and got myself 2 more for 1 being questionable, makes sense right

?? I'm gonna have a lot of dark speckled eggs even if that one turns out to be cockerel, thanks for the replies