I'll be frank; I'm confused. As you know, we ordered 10 chicks in March. When we were at the hatchery, the helper told us they threw in an extra chick and she identified it as a Speckled Sussex. We were thrilled to have our new little extra!
Here comes the rub. One of the babies died in her first week with us. That one was definitely a Speckled Sussex. Now, the chicks are grown up and nobody looks like a Speckled Sussex. I know the identities of everyone else - New Hampshire, Ameracauna, Buff Orpington, Brown Leghorn, Light Brahma and Black Austrolorp. But, I can't figure out the breed for our "extra."
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She's beautiful and friendly, but what is she? |
She's a beautiful bird, in fact, I call her "sunburst" because the feathers going down her neck look like rays of sun. Her golden and orange colors are mixed in with gray feathers and the combination is striking. She's got greenish/brown legs. She looks nothing like the Speckled Sussex that elimination tells us she should be.
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Sunburst grazing with her flock mates. |
I lean toward the hatchery worker getting it wrong; with my guess being she's an Ameracuana without the cheek muffs. (One of my last Ameracaunas did not have prominent cheek muffs either.) But, I can't be 100 percent sure.
I guess if we have three green/blue eggs in one day, the proverbial proof will be in the pudding. But, what if we don't have that "proof?" I'm intensely curious and wondered if any of you have a guess? I would love to know what you think.