peachick...what kind?

[campdirector]

Hey all,

So I had much better luck this year with my peas. I hatched out 10 chicks lost 3 to predators and 2 to drowning in the duck pool. But I, or I should say their mama hen has managed to raise the other 5 up to 4 months today. My question is I have an IB blue cock, 2 IB hens and 1 Blackshoulder hen. Last year I hatched out several IB chicks and a few blonde looking ones all of which did not make it past a month old. I assumed the little blonde ones were going to be blackshoulder. So this year, I hatched out a couple of the little blonde ones again and 1 has survived to the formentioned 4 months old. My question is it looks nothing like my BS hen or an IB. Can anyone tell me what color it is and why I may have gotten it? Interestingly enough I have not hatched out any BS chicks.Also can anyone tell what sex it might be. My guess is hen but not sure. Thanks for the help all!

Scott

 

[DylansMom]

Hey all,

So I had much better luck this year with my peas. I hatched out 10 chicks lost 3 to predators and 2 to drowning in the duck pool. But I, or I should say their mama hen has managed to raise the other 5 up to 4 months today. My question is I have an IB blue cock, 2 IB hens and 1 Blackshoulder hen. Last year I hatched out several IB chicks and a few blonde looking ones all of which did not make it past a month old. I assumed the little blonde ones were going to be blackshoulder. So this year, I hatched out a couple of the little blonde ones again and 1 has survived to the formentioned 4 months old. My question is it looks nothing like my BS hen or an IB. Can anyone tell me what color it is and why I may have gotten it? Interestingly enough I have not hatched out any BS chicks.Also can anyone tell what sex it might be. My guess is hen but not sure. Thanks for the help all!

Scott

Hi there! Congrats to you and Mama hen. That little blonde looks like a Cameo hen, That means the male is split to Cameo. He carries a Cameo gene but it is recessive to the India Blue gene. Cameo is a Sex-Linked color which means you can get Cameos with only 1 parent carrying the gene. A male carrying Cameo can produce Cameo daughters only, to get a Cameo son you would need a Cameo mom as well. So that explains your color. Now your Black shoulder is technically an India Blue Black Shoulder, BS is a pattern not a color. It is not sex-linked and therefore you need both parents to carry the gene to produce BS offspring, otherwise it is recessive to the wild or barred wing pattern. Hope that helps!

 

[KsKingBee]

It's a Cameo chick, I have a bunch of them too. Can't tell you the sex, I haven't figured out how to sex them yet. Some say that there is a barring but I haven't seen that on mine yet.

 

[DylansMom]

It's a Cameo chick, I have a bunch of them too. Can't tell you the sex, I haven't figured out how to sex them yet. Some say that there is a barring but I haven't seen that on mine yet.

It's a hen, look at the scallop shaped feathers with the wide light edges on it's chest/breast area. Plus genetics would tell you it could only be a hen.

Have to have a Cameo hen to get a Cameo male.

 

[KsKingBee]

It's a hen, look at the scallop shaped feathers with the wide light edges on it's chest/breast area. Plus genetics would tell you it could only be a hen.

Have to have a Cameo hen to get a Cameo male.

Ah, thank you. So like an IB hen breast only lighter. I can now scrutinize my chicks with this new information. And if they don't have the scallops then they are male, is there a difference in neck color between the sexes?

 

[DylansMom]

Ah, thank you. So like an IB hen breast only lighter. I can now scrutinize my chicks with this new information. And if they don't have the scallops then they are male, is there a difference in neck color between the sexes?

We've talked about those breast feathers before and it is very hard to put into words. Males can appear somewhat scalloped as well, but the lighter edge on the feathers will not be as wide and uniform looking. After a couple years of raising them you will learn all those subtle little variations.

 

[KsKingBee]

Ok, I will try to be patient.

If in a couple of years it lays an egg will it be a hen?

 

[DylansMom]

Ok, I will try to be patient.

If in a couple of years it lays an egg will it be a hen?

What I meant ( Smarty Pants)

was in a couple of years you will be able to look at a bunch of 10 week old chicks and know which are boys and which are girls...... 98% of the time anyway, cause we all get fooled now and then.

 

[zazouse]

What I meant ( Smarty Pants)

was in a couple of years you will be able to look at a bunch of 10 week old chicks and know which are boys and which are girls...... 98% of the time anyway, cause we all get fooled now and then.

Yep it gets easy when ya raise some up a couple seasons but you got all them different colors to learn with so might take ya a bit longer to see and remember how the started and how they ended, hope you are taking lots of photos, i know i have been and i only have the blue varieties

 

[KsKingBee]

What I meant ( Smarty Pants)

was in a couple of years you will be able to look at a bunch of 10 week old chicks and know which are boys and which are girls...... 98% of the time anyway, cause we all get fooled now and then.

Here is my 2%. I posted pics of Prince the other day and said it was Nanu

Hopefully this will make it up to you. Nanu is much prettier than Prince and just as big.



Nanu and a Cameo hen......



Nanu and a Cameo cock......



Nanu and both of the above Cameos



You asked for pics of SweePeas breast feathers a while back.



She is getting a lot of color.