Spitzhaubens

[Faraday40]

I think I found the ID--the store gets their chicks from Ideal. I searched thru Ideal's bantams and found only one that fits, the Nankin bantam, of which they do sell a straight comb variety.

That's a pretty good guess.

 

[Alaskan]

Nankins are fantastic. A very old breed.

 

[Faraday40]

@SueT
I wish I had your nice background today....
My little family posed so nice.

 

[MROO]

I think I found the ID--the store gets their chicks from Ideal. I searched thru Ideal's bantams and found only one that fits, the Nankin bantam, of which they do sell a straight comb variety.

Ideal does sell Nankins - a critically endangered chicken breed - but they appear to be a recovery strain - Nankin crossed with OEGB or Dutch. True Nankins are extremely rare, so if it's a Nanny, you have a little gem, there! Check out The Livestock Conservancy's website for more info (www.livestockconservancy.org).

 

[SueT]

Ideal does sell Nankins - a critically endangered chicken breed - but they appear to be a recovery strain - Nankin crossed with OEGB or Dutch. True Nankins are extremely rare, so if it's a Nanny, you have a little gem, there! Check out The Livestock Conservancy's website for more info (www.livestockconservancy.org).

Well I'm sure Ideal doesn't sell the pure Nankins then. But it's a lovely little chicken, so bright orange. Maybe this bright color means it's a rooster. Still no color to its comb tho, at almost 6 weeks. Spitzes I can't be sure of sex either but guess I have 2 of each.
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I was going to go to poultry swap today and try to sell the orphans, but it is TOO HOT. And I know there's almost no shade there. So I get to keep them a while longer....and find out what sex they are. If both are pullets, I can sell them for more.

 

[MROO]

I went back to check out your little bantam's "baby pic," and you've got yourself a Nankin! The super tiny size and the little black line on the top of its' fuzzy yellow head are the telltale giveaways. I'm surprised to find one in a TSC brooder bin. It must have been a late-day hatch at the breeder. What a find!

Six weeks is a bit young to tell gender, yet (they're late bloomers) and coloring isn't really a good indicator, at least not at six weeks. Grown pullets, especially with the Ideal strain, can be a deep "palomino" gold. In any Nankins, both genders go through some color changes as they grow and molt. If you post some good profile (head and full body) pics in 2-3 weeks, we should be able to tell a bit more.

If you've got room for an extra bantam, Nankins are really personable little birds. If you have to move it along, a pullet should be easy to find a home for. It's hard to buy sexed pullets, as most breeders hang on to them until they're old enough to evaluate their conformation ... then they go into a selective breeding program instead of the sales. As in any breed, lone cockerels are harder to place. That's when you post an adult picture (they look like something out of a child's storybook - gorgeous!) and make sure potential buyers know about the critically endangered status. You may want to provide them with the Livestock Conservancy link, as well. People tend to like unusual birds, and it's pretty neat to have a little piece of living history in your coop.

I LOVE my Nannies!

 

[SueT]

I went back to check out your little bantam's "baby pic," and you've got yourself a Nankin! The super tiny size and the little black line on the top of its' fuzzy yellow head are the telltale giveaways. I'm surprised to find one in a TSC brooder bin. It must have been a late-day hatch at the breeder. What a find!

Six weeks is a bit young to tell gender, yet (they're late bloomers) and coloring isn't really a good indicator, at least not at six weeks. Grown pullets, especially with the Ideal strain, can be a deep "palomino" gold. In any Nankins, both genders go through some color changes as they grow and molt. If you post some good profile (head and full body) pics in 2-3 weeks, we should be able to tell a bit more.

If you've got room for an extra bantam, Nankins are really personable little birds. If you have to move it along, a pullet should be easy to find a home for. It's hard to buy sexed pullets, as most breeders hang on to them until they're old enough to evaluate their conformation ... then they go into a selective breeding program instead of the sales. As in any breed, lone cockerels are harder to place. That's when you post an adult picture (they look like something out of a child's storybook - gorgeous!) and make sure potential buyers know about the critically endangered status. You may want to provide them with the Livestock Conservancy link, as well. People tend to like unusual birds, and it's pretty neat to have a little piece of living history in your coop.

I LOVE my Nannies!
View attachment 1851755 View attachment 1851760

Not TSC, it's a small chain, called Atwoods, based in OK. Thanks for all the info. I knew nothing about Nankins, and am so glad to hear from you! I love the photos!
What I am concerned about with keeping these orphans is integration w the flock. I not only have the Spitz chicks being raised by the opinionated Sebright, but 4 large hens-- 3 leghorns and a S Sussex. I am not optimistic about any of them looking kindly upon these youngsters.

 

[MROO]

Not TSC, it's a small chain, called Atwoods, based in OK. Thanks for all the info. I knew nothing about Nankins, and am so glad to hear from you! I love the photos!
What I am concerned about with keeping these orphans is integration w the flock. I not only have the Spitz chicks being raised by the opinionated Sebright, but 4 large hens-- 3 leghorns and a S Sussex. I am not optimistic about any of them looking kindly upon these youngsters.

The Sussex should be okay, but I don't know much about Leghorns ... the only large fowl we have are a pair of Kindergarten dropouts from one of the schools where I work ... a Production Red and a surprise Jersey Moose ... err ... I mean .. Giant. The PR is small enough to mingle, but the JG, at only three months, already dwarfs my largest rooster by at least 3X ... and she'll more than double her size in the next 18 months. What was I thinking?! It was just too impossible to say "No" to 15 hopeful 5-year-olds when they looked up and said, "Please rescue our babies!" It's a good thing our Siri is so mellow, 'cause the little mooselet doesn't know her own size ... or strength!

 

[SueT]

The Sussex should be okay, but I don't know much about Leghorns ... the only large fowl we have are a pair of Kindergarten dropouts from one of the schools where I work ... a Production Red and a surprise Jersey Moose ... err ... I mean .. Giant. The PR is small enough to mingle, but the JG, at only three months, already dwarfs my largest rooster by at least 3X ... and she'll more than double her size in the next 18 months. What was I thinking?! It was just too impossible to say "No" to 15 hopeful 5-year-olds when they looked up and said, "Please rescue our babies!" It's a good thing our Siri is so mellow, 'cause the little mooselet doesn't know her own size ... or strength!

Aw, a gentle giant. You'll have to post a pic of her w the tinies.
Well now that I know how special little 'Rusty' is, I would like to keep him/her. The Sussex is top hen, 3 yrs old, we recently lost the previous top hen, so long live the new Queen who is just getting used to her role and seems to be 'live and let live' so far in this small flock. The 3 br. leghorn hens are fairly mellow, so maybe we'll be okay. I haven't integrated the Sebright hen w her Spitz chicks into main flock... she may be fierce, but she is lowest adult in pecking order now that we sold the adult Spitzes. Many dynamics will be at work here.

Exciting weeks ahead as the 5 chicks reveal their gender!

 

[Faraday40]

... a surprise Jersey Moose ... err ... I mean .. Giant.

The giant breeds are so sweet! I used to worry about mixing bantams & LF. Then I realized that it's the bantams who have the attitude. My Sebright "thinks" she's queen and my giant orps don't waste the energy correcting her. (However they do give her plenty of space when she's broody.) Those bantams have no problem keeping up with the big girls. LOL

Here's a pic of one of my orps and her sister serama. The serama is actually 2 days older.