TSC Pearl Onyx

[prin23]

I went into Tractor Supply for goat kid milk replacer and walked out with a box of chicks..

They were labeled Pearl Onyx and after getting home I tried to do some research, but seems like there isn’t much info about them.

I know they are much too young to sex by photos, so I’m not asking for that. I’m just wondering in other’s personal experience, have the darker legged ones turned out as pullets and the yellow legs turn out to be Roos? Or does that have absolutely nothing to do with that? Conflicting info via google.

I got four, two with dark legs/beaks and two with light.

One has extra toes on his/her feet, looks like there may be silkie in the breeding for these?

 

[Tiny Egg]

I just got a pearl onyx this week too! I don’t know any more about them than you do, but I’ve heard the ones with darker skin will turn out to be the “zombie chickens” I think. And I’ve also heard darker skin and extra toes comes from silkie genes. I don’t believe they can be sexed from leg color, but again I don’t know any more than you do, and I especially don’t know much about the pearl onyx breed. They’re super cute! I wish mine would turn out to be a zombie chicken but unfortunately all the ones at the feed store had lighter skin.

 

[redinator]

I just got a pearl onyx this week too! I don’t know any more about them than you do, but I’ve heard the ones with darker skin will turn out to be the “zombie chickens” I think. And I’ve also heard darker skin and extra toes comes from silkie genes. I don’t believe they can be sexed from leg color, but again I don’t know any more than you do, and I especially don’t know much about the pearl onyx breed. They’re super cute! I wish mine would turn out to be a zombie chicken but unfortunately all the ones at the feed store had lighter skin.

Just to clear up one point . . . Zombie Chickens are Ayam Cemani x White Leghorn crosses. https://www.mypetchicken.com/blogs/...rIxDvkw8iVJndBhhXHZ9YRKh5wDL2BpTTZUU7weHQYvdz

Pearl Onyx might be 2nd gen Zombie Chickens . . . Zombie Chicken X White Leghorn or Ayam Cemani, but I don't know if that's correct or not.

 

[JedJackson]

Pearl Onyx are Mystic Onyx, which are a mix with Silkie involved, crossed with white Leghorn. I saw nothing saying they could be sexed using skin color. There are now several of similar hybrids sold under various brand names by the different hatcheries.

 

[prin23]

Pearl Onyx are Mystic Onyx, which are a mix with Silkie involved, crossed with white Leghorn. I saw nothing saying they could be sexed using skin color. There are now several of similar hybrids sold under various brand names by the different hatcheries.

Thank you, I read it somewhere but of course can’t find it now. I wouldn’t mind if one was a rooster though, since we sadly lost our bantam Cochin roo last year that we loved.
It will be fun to watch these four grow and see what they look like.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[Skyeknight]

If they work anything like zombies then they can be sexed using leg, beak and comb colour. Sometimes it can be a bit vague but the comb is leading in sex. A black comb, beak and legs are females. Lighter coloured are males. Because of the fifth toe there is definitely Silkie ancestry.

Normally in zombies an Ayam Cemani rooster is used over a Leghorn hen. Fibromelanosis (the black skin) is a dominant gene. But it is suppressed by 2 even more dominant genes. One is barring and the other is dermal inhibitor. Both of these are sex linked, so if the female carries them then all her males offspring will too while female offspring won't. Dermal inhibitor is present in chickens with white or yellow legs.

But since pearl onyx are mixes with their genetic make-up kept secret it might not hold true.

 

[prin23]

If they work anything like zombies then they can be sexed using leg, beak and comb colour. Sometimes it can be a bit vague but the comb is leading in sex. A black comb, beak and legs are females. Lighter coloured are males. Because of the fifth toe there is definitely Silkie ancestry.

Normally in zombies an Ayam Cemani rooster is used over a Leghorn hen. Fibromelanosis (the black skin) is a dominant gene. But it is suppressed by 2 even more dominant genes. One is barring and the other is dermal inhibitor. Both of these are sex linked, so if the female carries them then all her males offspring will too while female offspring won't. Dermal inhibitor is present in chickens with white or yellow legs.

But since pearl onyx are mixes with their genetic make-up kept secret it might not hold true.

Thank you for the detailed info! I went back to TSC this morning to look at the rest and all but two of the spotted chicks in the bin (labeled pullets) have yellow legs/beaks. So hopefully it’s not the same as the Zombies!

I know the labels don’t mean much though, there were also some pure yellow chicks with little bumps on their heads in there and no spots, and a few chipmunk striped ones. So it’s like a surprise mix bin lol.