What mix and gender is my chick?

[Homo sapien]

Can you post a clearer picture of her comb? That may help with sorting out what the possibilities are. Breeds tend to be quite specific about what kind of comb they are supposed to have.

Here are some:
On a few (two or three) of her hackle feathers she has a small bit of brown. You can't see it in the photos.

 

[NatJ]

Here are some:
On a few (two or three) of her hackle feathers she has a small bit of brown. You can't see it in the photos.

Thanks!

That sure does look like a cushion comb.

It is wide enough I am sure it has the rose comb gene.
And the small size, combined with the lack of obvious wattles, makes me pretty sure it has the pea comb gene as well.

I wonder if some hatchery is developing Black Chanteclers? (I doubt it, but Chantecler is the only dual-purpose breed I can think of that has a cushion comb.)

Some hatcheries are doing various Silkie-mixes, but I don't see anything that looks like a Silkie other than the comb: no crest, no extra toe, no feathers on the feet. It would be really unusual to get rid of all those other traits and keep the comb. (The actual silkie-type feathers are caused by a recessive gene, so it's easy to get normal feathering in Silkie-mix chickens.)

She is a really pretty chicken, but she has me pretty thoroughly stumped.

Oh, I suppose I should ask this: what country are you in? Different breeds are common in different countries, and I tend to think of the ones in the USA because that's where I live.

 

[Homo sapien]

Oh, I suppose I should ask this: what country are you in? Different breeds are common in different countries, and I tend to think of the ones in the USA because that's where I live.

Canada.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Do you know what hatchery your store used? Might be able to narrow it down that way.

 

[Homo sapien]

Do you know what hatchery your store used? Might be able to narrow it down that way.

I asked my store they said they didn't know.

 

[Homo sapien]

I just realized that the rooster with the strawberry comb in this article looks so much like Matilda. He even has black feet with yellow bottoms!

 

[NatJ]

Canada.

Maybe that's why I can't think of it. It probably is a kind of chicken that is not available from US hatcheries. Being further north, hatcheries in Canada would have more reason to develop more chickens with cushion combs, as compared with hatcheries in the US.

Maybe you could ask the store what hatchery they order from? Then you could look at what kinds of chicks that hatchery offers.

 

[Homo sapien]

Maybe that's why I can't think of it. It probably is a kind of chicken that is not available from US hatcheries. Being further north, hatcheries in Canada would have more reason to develop more chickens with cushion combs, as compared with hatcheries in the US.

Maybe you could ask the store what hatchery they order from? Then you could look at what kinds of chicks that hatchery offers.

I tried. They said they did not remember. I could ask them again. They should have it written somewhere.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Ask to speak to their purchasing manager. Most stores have one or two people who do all the ordering.

 

[Homo sapien]

Ask to speak to their purchasing manager. Most stores have one or two people who do all the ordering.

It is a small family store.