# Can anybody tell me the breed and gender of this chicken?



## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

We originally bought (her) as a pulley but we are beginning to have our doubts...?
Also what breed are they?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Pretty. What age? My first thought was hen when I saw it. 

Breed I can't help with.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

She is still a pullet but around 20/25 weeks


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Short Answer: Black Australorp or cross, I think. Nice conformation. What color eyes? Did you get this bird from a hatchery? I'm ruling out all of the exotic black breeds. So we are left with the Indo-European ones. The shape is like a Kadaknath though. The bird is young, so I'm not totally ruling out a Minorca or Black Shumen cross. If I had to guess right now, I would say a Black Australorp or cross. They were bred in Australia in the 1890's from Black Orpingtons as a sturdy general purpose chicken. They are popular.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Well no, i am from england but she is from a place that breeds chickens so i guess so yes


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sounds like PJ is hitting closer to what her breed is since you're in England.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Pj??????


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

If we are discussing the black chicken, I think a Black Australorp or near cross. If you can post a picture of her head and feet we can make a more assured guess.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

oki give me a second.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

At the moment, she is very skittish and won't let you go near her.... best pictures I could get on an iPhone


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mad_About_Animals said:


> Pj??????


Poultry Judge. You will end up being MAA because it's a lot simpler to type.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Am I seeing dark legs, like a slate gray?


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Yes her legs are dark.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

I immediately thought Australorp when I saw her, but PJ and others are far better than I! Also, if she IS an Australorp, she will be a she from comb size/wattles... IF that’s on the mark! 
Summary, at a broad guess, Australorp pullet (or cross as PJ said)


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

hmm.. she was described to as a Diamond Black but im having my doubts..


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I just looked up Diamond Black, FYI never heard of it before this, the description is that there is brown on the bird. The pic I saw shows there being brown down the front of the throat.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

Yes, I am in agreement with Overmountain1, I'm guessing Black Australorp hen. Nice bird! She is the wrong overall shape for a Diamond Black and I believe they are also one of the hybrid mellanistic or semi, please correct me if I'm wrong, so that would show up somewhere in a cross. I'm not super good on the flavor of the year new breeds, but I would very humbly place Diamond Blacks in the "currently popular semi-exotic" category like Ayam Cemanis which are the only totally black Indonesian chicken. Robin can tell you about when Silkies were exotic! Actually, there are some Silkie mellanistic crosses but I have not seen one.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm unaware of any. Unless you're referring to the newest paint variety. But those crosses aren't melanistic.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I had to look it up. National Geographic did an article a ways back on hyper-pigmented chickens. The Fort Worth Zoo in Texas has some white Silkies with black skin and bones. So, I wonder about the American Paint Silkies. I saw a comparison to Appaloosa horse genetics wherein the new Silkie genes are described as fairly unpredictable. Still folks are petitioning the APA for breed recognition. So, while some folks are moving forward, I'm going in reverse trying to rekindle OEG genetic material from three hundred years ago for birds listed as "Extinct/Near Extinct"!


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Thank you for your help everyone! I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing it isn't a cockerel!


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

And thinking about it, she does look like a Black Australorp!!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

All Silkies have black bones and skin. Even the paints. So, I'm still confused.

Silkie genetics are kind of wonky because of the outcrossing to get the varieties now available.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Mad_About_Animals said:


> Thank you for your help everyone! I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing it isn't a cockerel!


OK, now I'm crossing my fingers my impulse to say female is right.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Silkie genetics are kind of wonky because of the outcrossing to get the varieties now available.


Yup, like everything else that becomes fashionable or like a fad. The article was interesting because it was discussing a natural mutation wherein the Silkies had ten times the pigmentation gene. They did not look like regular Silkies and the article talked about the evolution of Silkies. But humans have been trying to mess about with chicken breeding for what, about seven thousand years that we know of. The lesson for me is, I need to be careful with trying to find these antique Earl of Derby traits, I may end up with Velociraptors! ...or Puffball.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

LOL I think you'd end up with a mutual understanding if you had a Puffball in your ranks. 

There are things that have been done to Silkies that I don't agree with. And if they're not careful they'll totally ruin the breed. All I know about their pigmentation is that it's a dominant gene and can be passed down by the male. 

What are your concerns about the EoD traits? You know, we probably would like to see your flock when you get a chance.


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## Overmountain1 (Jun 5, 2020)

What she said! Would you see if you can get some pics up for us? I'm definitely interested in seeing some more of your flock PJ! 
My tiny roo, Chip, also needs a breed identification.... if at allll possible lol...maybe I'll start a new thread? I don't want to hijack this one.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

I'm still putting up fence today but will work on getting some pics up. I share Robin's concerns regarding some breeding practices and ruining breeds. I'm sure I sound like the cranky old guy when I complain about currently fashionable chicken strains! Believe it or not, it used to be much worse. During the Golden Age of Poultry shows in the U.S. and Europe, roughly the 1890's through 1930, people did all sorts of nefarious things to birds. They used to dye birds, paint feathers, glue feathers, shape beaks, trim feet and all manner of other terrible things. I have one old judging book which deals solely with all of the illegal faking practices that went on and how to identify them. There were fairly large five and ten thousand dollar prizes for some of these huge shows and Poultry Congresses and they were super competitive. Things slowed down dramatically when the Great Depression hit. Poultry shows started to recover a bit after World War Two but never returned to the huge spectacles they were during the Golden Age.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Hello! So you guys are positive it’s a hen??? I don’t kind you hijacking this thread!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm voting girl. And I think the others are thinking the same. Of course they'll slap me down if I just made that up.


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## Mad_About_Animals (Aug 13, 2020)

Ok that’s good!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I must have been right, PJ didn't slap me down for it being a boy instead.


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## Poultry Judge (Jul 15, 2020)

You're kidding me, I'm wrong all the time, and with my own birds sometimes! We all jump the gun and try to identify too early, some breeds like my Pioneer Ginger Banties develop very slowly. I used to do genetic testing at twenty-five dollars each with the juvenile Emus because you simply can't tell.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

No, I'm not kidding. But the bigger the number that agree she's a she the more likely we're all going to be right.


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