One of these sex-links is not like the other

[Lyris]

This spring I bought two chocolate orpington hens and what I swore would be a chocolate orpington rooster based on behavior at IFA. My rooster is actually a welsummer hen and the other two Orpingtons are black sex-links. I'm now wondering if Scraps is actually lying and isn't a sex-link after all. Scraps is incredibly shy and not as brave as my adult sex-link or her sister. Her personality more matches my Easter egger or brahma. She is also smaller than her sister and took a *lot* longer to feather out. Up until now I just assumed she was a runt. (Hence the name) Her sister now has a beautiful orange "necklace" while Scraps is still black. My adult sex-link is more of a matte black while these two have beautiful green/blue coloring to their feathers in the right light.

For my own sanity, is Scraps actually a sex-link or is she lying and I somehow got three different types of not orpington chickens??

She has one single orange feather on the right side of her neck that promptly fell out.

For a comparison here is Scraps (right) next to her sister, Ember (left) they're the same age.

(I'm aware that ThunderClaw in the middle is a roo. He's been happily failing at crowing for weeks now. Mozart is my established rooster in the back)

 

[ella2025]

Scraps is a black sex link. I see 2 'copper' feathers on the second photo. Some BSLs are solid black even! Thunderclaw is so freaking cute!!!

 

[The Moonshiner]

No way to be 100% but I'm voting she is a BSL.

 

[redinator]

I just made a post when I put leg bands on my 8 black sexlinks. They vary a lot in the degree of copper coloring they have coming in. I got mine from TSC, so who knows, maybe some of mine aren't what they were labeled. Here's the link to the post I made: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-everything-thereafter.1672919/post-28861001

 

[Lyris]

Scraps is a black sex link. I see 2 'copper' feathers on the second photo. Some BSLs are solid black even! Thunderclaw is so freaking cute!!!

Huh, today I learned! I thought she had to have the necklace to be a BSL. My older BSL doesn't have the blue glossy coat and is very plain compared to them.
ThunderClaw came with three other baby bantams. Their mama is a white Wyndotte bantam and I wanted more bantams. I gave mama three regular sized babies and three bantams. She immediately threw out of bantam and it died. The other one mysteriously vanished. She completely ignored the third and he only survived by sheer will and determination. By day four I knew he was a boy. He managed to (barely) keep up with the bigger chicks and basically raised himself with his siblings. To this day his mama acts like he doesn't exist. She had zero problems with bantams and regular chicks last time so idk why she got fussy this go round. He still acts like a baby most of the time. He just happens to crow. He idolizes Papa Roo and tries to imitate him all the time.

I just made a post when I put leg bands on my 8 black sexlinks. They vary a lot in the degree of copper coloring they have coming in. I got mine from TSC, so who knows, maybe some of mine aren't what they were labeled. Here's the link to the post I made: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-everything-thereafter.1672919/post-28861001

I'll have a read! I think mine might have been CAL ranch. Considering they were supposed to be Orpingtons I'm incredibly suspicious about mine.

 

[sybonbon]

This spring I bought two chocolate orpington hens and what I swore would be a chocolate orpington rooster based on behavior at IFA. My rooster is actually a welsummer hen and the other two Orpingtons are black sex-links. I'm now wondering if Scraps is actually lying and isn't a sex-link after all. Scraps is incredibly shy and not as brave as my adult sex-link or her sister. Her personality more matches my Easter egger or brahma. She is also smaller than her sister and took a *lot* longer to feather out. Up until now I just assumed she was a runt. (Hence the name) Her sister now has a beautiful orange "necklace" while Scraps is still black. My adult sex-link is more of a matte black while these two have beautiful green/blue coloring to their feathers in the right light.

For my own sanity, is Scraps actually a sex-link or is she lying and I somehow got three different types of not orpington chickens??

View attachment 4232878

She has one single orange feather on the right side of her neck that promptly fell out.
View attachment 4232879

For a comparison here is Scraps (right) next to her sister, Ember (left) they're the same age.

View attachment 4232881

(I'm aware that ThunderClaw in the middle is a roo. He's been happily failing at crowing for weeks now. Mozart is my established rooster in the back)

I have 2 black sexlinks that are very different as you can see in the photos. Mine are RIR x Barred Rock crosses.

 

[Lyris]

I have 2 black sexlinks that are very different as you can see in the photos. Mine are RIR x Barred Rock crosses.

Is there more than one way to get a BSL? The lighter of the two doesn't have the blue coat like my two. My older one is very matte and not glossy and has no coloring to her black feathers.