Whiting True Blues Different Phenotypes

[MountainWoman73]

Hey there chicken people,

I recently ordered chicks from McMurray Hatchery. I ordered 5 Whiting True Blues, 5 Welsummers, and 5 Cream Legbars. They threw in a free mystery chick as well. I received only 13, three less chicks than expected, and with the mystery chick and three missing, I'm not sure what I got! I THINK they sent me cream legbar males. I ordered 5 sexed females, and only got one grey-yellow chick with a stripe. Cream Legbars SHOULD be easy for McMurray to sex by coloring.

Here's my question: What have your different colored Whiting True Blues looked like as day-old or week-old chicks? In your opinion, is it possible for WTB females to look like Cream Legbar males at a week old? I have two that are kind of yellow and two that are kind of grayish yellowish (these are the ones I think are the CL males) What do you think??

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

WTB are pea combed, so, no, they wont look like legbars, which are single combed. What comb buds do your chicks have?

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

I got 2 WTB last summer and they turned out to be almost all white, and silvery grey with a few black feathers. I think they are like EEs, they can look like anything. Male CLB should be yellow with a white dot on the head...I think?

 

[MountainWoman73]

They look single combed. This supports my theory that whoever packed my order not only left out 3 chicks, they sent me 4 boys....

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Call them Immediately and demand they resend your order with the correct breeds and amount!

 

[MountainWoman73]

Yes, I think you're right. The white dot was visible on two of the four I'm trying to figure out. It's fading a little now.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Yes, I think you're right. The white dot was visible on two of the four I'm trying to figure out. It's fading a little now.

I'm sorry!

 

[MountainWoman73]

Their operator was really nice about refunding me for the three missing ones as well as one that didn't survive the mail. She was as confused as I was, and just refunded me for the four most expensive chicks. I might call again if I got 4 boys though
If it was a different breed I wouldn't complain, but Cream Legbars look different!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Their operator was really nice about refunding me for the three missing ones as well as one that didn't survive the mail. She was as confused as I was, and just refunded me for the four most expensive chicks. I might call again if I got 4 boys though
If it was a different breed I wouldn't complain, but Cream Legbars look different!

hmm.. she "Should" refund you for all of them.. not to mention having to raise 4 boys!

 

[GaryDean26]

Hey there chicken people,

I recently ordered chicks from McMurray Hatchery. I ordered 5 Whiting True Blues, 5 Welsummers, and 5 Cream Legbars. They threw in a free mystery chick as well. I received only 13, three less chicks than expected, and with the mystery chick and three missing, I'm not sure what I got! I THINK they sent me cream legbar males. I ordered 5 sexed females, and only got one grey-yellow chick with a stripe. Cream Legbars SHOULD be easy for McMurray to sex by coloring.

Here's my question: What have your different colored Whiting True Blues looked like as day-old or week-old chicks? In your opinion, is it possible for WTB females to look like Cream Legbar males at a week old? I have two that are kind of yellow and two that are kind of grayish yellowish (these are the ones I think are the CL males) What do you think??

Grey 2 would be your Cream Legbar Male. Yellow 1 and yellow 2 do not show any distinquishing sign of Legbars or Welsummer. The angle on Grey 1 doesn't show enough markings for me to ID the chick, but it does have the eye liner which would make it a candidate for a Legbar or Welsummer. I don't think the Welsummers get that grey color though. I think they are all brown. The Legbars do have many that get that grey color.

I am not really sure what to look for on the Whiting True Blues. I interviewed Dr. Whiting for an article on breeding blue eggs that was published in the Cream Legbar Club Newsletter. Te said that his Whiting blues were all pea combed and that this Whiting Greens are all single combed. He said that he doesn't breed the Whiting blues for a certain type or a certain color. His only selection criterion is the eggs. Because of this he said that he has seen some new color patterns emerge in the Whiting Blue lines. So...the color of chick could be anything on the Whiting True Blues.

The Cream Legbar Club Newsletter with the interview with Dr Whiting is found on the Cream Legbar Club Website (creamlegbarclub.com). It you go to the NEWS tab and go to the Spring/Summer 2017 Newsletter you will find it starting on page 9.

Note: At a Cream Legbar Club table, that I worked at the Fancy Feathers 4H Club's Spring APA show we had club members bring day-old Legbars chicks. We then asked the public to try their hand at sorting the males from the females. We had photos on our project board showing what to look for in the males and the females. About half would get it right off. the other half would usually get it with a little bit of coaching after a minute or two. We had one lady who owned Cream Legbars and who had just started her first year of hatching who sorted them all backwards. After coaching her longer than most people required she still wasn't getting it. Then she said something to the effect of "Oh no! I am going to have to get back with that person that I some chicks to last week. She wanted pullets and I now am thinking that I sent her cockerels."

So...no they shouldn't have any problem sexing pullets from cockerel at the hatchery for legbars. 2 minutes of coaching and anyone can do it. I have sorted over a 1000 legbars at my place since my first Legbar hatch in 2011 and I have yet to get a single one wrong.