We have an odd duck in the flock.
This spring we picked up 12 new chicks, 3 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Barred Rocks, 3 New Hampshire Reds, and 3 (what we thought were) Araucanas.
One of the Araucanas, however, was lighter than the rest, she had some dappling but not as much as her “feathered chipmunk” sisters. It’s good to have a variety, I said to my daughters as I placed the chick in our box of chicks.
That one chick soon lost all of her markings and, like a goldfish released to a pond, quickly outgrew her sisters. She was huge.
“Perhaps she’s a turkey,” some ventured.
Within two week, although still larger than the others, she evened out in her growth to be more “big boned” than her previous “amazon” size.
A fast grower out of the gate – another clue.
We still don’t know what she is. She doesn’t have the cheek feathers to be a wheaten Ameraucana, as has also been suggested. And at this point, I can definitely rule out a turkey, (and a falcon which, believe it or not, was a guess thrown into the fray.)
She still may be an Araucana. I have a friend who breeds Marans and every so often he hatches an all-white one – perhaps this chick is simply an all-white Araucana.
Stanger things have been known to happen in the chicken world.
But no worries, whether she is what we had wanted or is a result of an accidental mix-up, she’s still welcomed in our flock. A little bit of diversity never hurt anyone.
3 Comments
What did it turn out to be?
I have a white Arcana just like that.
How about a x rock Cornish hen. They are white and are extremely fast growers. The growth rate compared to the other chick looks about right