Ok, rewind about 2 or 3 weeks. Remember all the extra chicks? Well, the last batch had both California White pullets and Cornish Rock crosses in the same box with the other chicks. For the most part I thought I got it right....
Now today I was out there cutting the hole in the brooder (on the pullet side, not the Cornish side) so they can explore the coop a little and retreat back to safety if they need to. And I'm looking at the pullets who are wondering what I'm doing, and there standing in the middle of the bunch is a white chiken with a HUGE comb.
It is the same size as the other pullets (but would be anyway since its been eating only the chick starter, right?), has about the same feathering (though it is a little more sparce on the backside) but has this gigantic comb that NONE of the other pullets have. Its comb is about the same size as the Cornish in the brooder next to it.
I know that hatchery sexing is not 100%....So....how do I tell if its really a California White Roo, or a 'slightly-underfed' Cornish Rock? It simply can not be a Cali pullet compared to the other 8 its with. BUT...then here's where it gets sticky. The hatchery says they shipped 10 California White pullets and we lost one on Day 2...so I should have NINE left. I have EIGHT if this one is a Cornish, but then that would mean that somewhere in the Cornish pen there's a Cali White! If this one is a Cali White ROO, then the hatchery goofed the sexing, but that would account my 9. Hmmm.....
Oi! I'm sooo confused!
Now today I was out there cutting the hole in the brooder (on the pullet side, not the Cornish side) so they can explore the coop a little and retreat back to safety if they need to. And I'm looking at the pullets who are wondering what I'm doing, and there standing in the middle of the bunch is a white chiken with a HUGE comb.
It is the same size as the other pullets (but would be anyway since its been eating only the chick starter, right?), has about the same feathering (though it is a little more sparce on the backside) but has this gigantic comb that NONE of the other pullets have. Its comb is about the same size as the Cornish in the brooder next to it.
I know that hatchery sexing is not 100%....So....how do I tell if its really a California White Roo, or a 'slightly-underfed' Cornish Rock? It simply can not be a Cali pullet compared to the other 8 its with. BUT...then here's where it gets sticky. The hatchery says they shipped 10 California White pullets and we lost one on Day 2...so I should have NINE left. I have EIGHT if this one is a Cornish, but then that would mean that somewhere in the Cornish pen there's a Cali White! If this one is a Cali White ROO, then the hatchery goofed the sexing, but that would account my 9. Hmmm.....
Oi! I'm sooo confused!
