Young Plymouth Rock rooster? Or hen?

[speckledhen]

You'd have to know where this person got the stock in the first place, I'd guess. Hard to say. Wyandottes and Plymouth Rocks should both have yellow legs so something is going on there that isn't right with the skin color. Australorps have white skin and you might get a barred bird with white skin if you bred a barred rooster over black hen with white skin. I know I did, so that is a possibility.

 

[aoxa]

Rachel, on my monitor, blowing the photo up, they seem to be yellow, albeit very pale yellow. Some hatchery stock tends to have paler leg color than they should.

They look pink on my screen. :/

 

[speckledhen]

Yeah, I could see that when she posted the new photo, which was very helpful.

 

[aoxa]

Yeah, I could see that when she posted the new photo, which was very helpful.

If it makes much of a difference, I have had a hatchery BR with pink feet. She was not a CM, she was a barred rock (if you even want to call them that from hatcheries.. She was not shaped like a rock). She started my obsession with the breed though.

 

[speckledhen]

If it makes much of a difference, I have had a hatchery BR with pink feet. She was not a CM, she was a barred rock (if you even want to call them that from hatcheries.. She was not shaped like a rock). She started my obsession with the breed though.

Yeah, I've seen that, too, so it's hard to say, really. Hatchery stock is so variable and sometimes, just wrong.

 

[michelestapley]

What do you mean by hatchery stock?

 

[speckledhen]

What do you mean by hatchery stock?

What I mean is if the person you got the birds from is breeding from stock she got from any hatchery as opposed to a true breeder who breeds and culls to make the birds conform to type as they should, the birds may not be up to par with the standards for each breed. That is how you can get the wrong color legs and wrong body type on any certain breed. Naturally, I have no idea where the person got the birds however, for example, a breeder of Wyandottes would cull (remove from the gene pool of his stock) any bird with white legs.

If the birds were sold as culls, then a breeder should say so and tell you that the birds do not conform to the breed standard and not to use them as breeding stock, other than a backyard flock.

 

[michelestapley]

Thanks for the information. You've been really helpful! I took 3 pullets from him for the backyard. No roosters. He knew that I wasn't intending on breeding so I'd say that's why he's given me the "quirky" birds. As long as they're females we're happy!

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the information. You've been really helpful! I took 3 pullets from him for the backyard. No roosters. He knew that I wasn't intending on breeding so I'd say that's why he's given me the "quirky" birds. As long as they're females we're happy!

Yup, egg laying isn't dependent on proper leg color, so hope they give you years of eggs and fun!