What breed is popcorn?

[SouthDakotaLiving]

Yes, she's a bit smaller than the cinnamon queens. I got her sometime in early March, so I think she's around 18-20 weeks now. She is more independent than the cinnamons, both in the run and in the yard when I supervise them. I can't discern the pecking order among the 5 birds.

 

[NatJ]

Yes, she's a bit smaller than the cinnamon queens. I got her sometime in early March, so I think she's around 18-20 weeks now. She is more independent than the cinnamons, both in the run and in the yard when I supervise them. I can't discern the pecking order among the 5 birds.

Where did you get her? Did you order from a hatchery, buy from a store, buy from a private individual, find her wandering somewhere? If a hatchery or store, which one?

Sometimes this can help figure out what kind she is.

 

[SouthDakotaLiving]

Hi, I bought popcorn at Bomgars. So far I've been unable to get a close-up picture of her.

However, I see that she has one little round nub that sticks up off her face (between her eyes) and this is the uppermost portion of the comb. The rest of the comb, what little there is, seems to be flat against her face. The comb might consist of two or three little additional (flat) nubs, or there might be just the one little nub sticking up from a flat base; I can't get close enough to determine which is the case.

Her personality seems more like a Leghorn--independent, not wanting to be touched, enjoys flying and foraging, very alert, seems like the leader of the hens (there are 4 cinnamon queens and her), yet also remains somewhat aloof from the rest.

Her coloring does seem consistent with the Sapphire Splash. However, her shape is sleek, which I thought was more consistent with Leghorn.

Any other thoughts? Can you tell from my description whether this is a "pea" comb?

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi, I bought popcorn at Bomgars. So far I've been unable to get a close-up picture of her.

Sometimes I can get photos of my more skittish birds at night taking them off the roost.

Those photos don't show the stance, which can be important, but you can get good shots of the head/comb, feet with the color of the legs and underside, etc.

 

[JedJackson]

It's very likely to be either a Sapphire Splash or some type of Easter egger. Even knowing the comb type isn't necessarily going to help because new varieties of Easter eggers do have single combs sometimes. I'm going to post pictures of a pea comb and a single comb for comparison, but probably your best bet is to wait until she lays to decide.

 

[NatJ]

I bought popcorn at Bomgars.

That definitely helps. It means she came from a hatchery, not from someone's backyard flock. So she's not a completely random mix. Instead, she is either a pure breed, or else a mix that was bred for a specific purpose (like Sapphire Splash or Leghorn-based Easter Eggers).

Her coloring does seem consistent with the Sapphire Splash. However, her shape is sleek, which I thought was more consistent with Leghorn.

The color and body shape could also go with an Andalusian. They are "supposed" to be blue, but in practice they come in black, blue, and splash (because that's what happens when you breed two blue chickens.)

But I would expect a much larger comb on an Andalusian or a Leghorn of this age.

I see that she has one little round nub that sticks up off her face (between her eyes) and this is the uppermost portion of the comb. The rest of the comb, what little there is, seems to be flat against her face. The comb might consist of two or three little additional (flat) nubs, or there might be just the one little nub sticking up from a flat base

Can you tell from my description whether this is a "pea" comb?

It seems likely, but I can't be entirely sure.
It definitely does not sound like a typical single comb. Single combs are the ones that look like you could comb your hair with them: a single row of points standing up.

It's very likely to be either a Sapphire Splash or some type of Easter egger. Even knowing the comb type isn't necessarily going to help because new varieties of Easter eggers do have single combs sometimes.

Sapphire Splash should have a single comb, right?
I agree that a single comb will not prove anything, but a not-single comb will rule out Sapphire Splash and leave Easter Egger as the only likely option.

 

[JedJackson]

That definitely helps. It means she came from a hatchery, not from someone's backyard flock. So she's not a completely random mix. Instead, she is either a pure breed, or else a mix that was bred for a specific purpose (like Sapphire Splash or Leghorn-based Easter Eggers).


The color and body shape could also go with an Andalusian. They are "supposed" to be blue, but in practice they come in black, blue, and splash (because that's what happens when you breed two blue chickens.)

But I would expect a much larger comb on an Andalusian or a Leghorn of this age.



It seems likely, but I can't be entirely sure.
It definitely does not sound like a typical single comb. Single combs are the ones that look like you could comb your hair with them: a single row of points standing up.


Sapphire Splash should have a single comb, right?
I agree that a single comb will not prove anything, but a not-single comb will rule out Sapphire Splash and leave Easter Egger as the only likely option.

Yes, true. If it is a pea comb it has to be some type of Easter egger.

 

[SouthDakotaLiving]

Thanks, everybody! I'm pretty sure this is a pea comb, based upon pics above by JedJackson. So I guess that rules outage Sapphire splash and points to a (leghorn based?) easter egger.