ugly chick in the bunch

[flinthillwolf]

Hatched out 18 assorted eggs from my flock of assorted breeds of marans, of all kinds and other dark egg layers.
Some black legs, some feathered shanked and some yellow legged. Some bramas, Anyway , all have red combs. So, all the baby chicks have red combs. But, one chick is entirely different from the rest. It is black from head to toe, including its comb, which is a pea comb, which none of the rest have either. I have never had a black combed chicken. It has black eyes, and a black beak. I haven't picked it up to look inside it's mouth. Its in a long 12 foot inclosure with the others. So, any experiences with this before, and any ideals as to what cross it may be?

 

[WIchickMama]

Pictures?

 

[cherrynberry]

Hatched out 18 assorted eggs from my flock of assorted breeds of marans, of all kinds and other dark egg layers.
Some black legs, some feathered shanked and some yellow legged. Some bramas, Anyway , all have red combs. So, all the baby chicks have red combs. But, one chick is entirely different from the rest. It is black from head to toe, including its comb, which is a pea comb, which none of the rest have either. I have never had a black combed chicken. It has black eyes, and a black beak. I haven't picked it up to look inside it's mouth. Its in a long 12 foot inclosure with the others. So, any experiences with this before, and any ideals as to what cross it may be?

Sounds like a Silkie cross. Maybe its not a pea comb like you think. We definitely need pictures.

 

[flinthillwolf]

Sounds like a Silkie cross. Maybe its not a pea comb like you think. We definitely need pictures.

It;s a flat black comb. I'll try to take a picture. I'm not the greatest at doing that and getting it on the computor. my phone isn't linked to my laptop. But, I don't have any silkie's, and never have. But, I did order some majestic marans from Hoovers. They said they were a cross and would not breed out true to the breed. I don't know what they are crossed with, but I am stumped over this. I have hatched out 100's of chicks, and never had one like this one.

 

[flinthillwolf]

I caught the black baby. Not so little now. The comb is nice and black and it is a flat pea comb. The beak is black. The shanks have feathers up and down. I looked inside its mouth. The coloring looked normal. The eyes are brown and not black like I first thought.sorry I do not have a picture. So,do silkies have black combes? I don't have a silky,but maybe it's in the gene line or something';

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Is the face black? Could be gypsy face

 

[flinthillwolf]

Is the face black? Could be gypsy face

yes, completely jet black all over.

 

[flinthillwolf]

what is a gypsy face?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Sounds like you may have a chick that inherited some of the silkie traits. How many toes does this one have? Silkies often half black combs especially females. Males tend to have a mulberry or dark purpleish colored comb when mature, but have black combs when younger. “Gypsy face“ is an old term that is no longer used much to denote a chicken with a dark face.
It is not considered politically correct/culturally sensitive to use this term anymore.

 

[WhySayWhat]

Sounds like a Fibro chick! I know that Meyer Hatchery are selling "Fibro easter eggers" this spring. Basically, they mixed their flock to bring out the "black" gene. I think it was a "mistake" in their breeding pens, as they also started selling Ayam Cemani's this year too.

Since yours are a mixed flock, maybe that one chick just inherited the "right" genetics to show up as a fibro (all back) chick.