The Mystery Bantam may be a rooster or a hen. The striking black and white coloring seems unique. Most likely a Cochin. We'll find out... it's fun to not know yet. Right now the bird looks like a mini Elvis Penguin bird, because it is a feather footed breed.
They are all very cute, 5 to 7 days old, soft and friendly.I was just going to get two Ameraucanas. I was curious about whether they were two different breeds and if one had ear tufts. After sorting out that they were the same as Araucanas, which are of Peruvian descent and just sometimes called by the americanized name - 'Ameraucana' - Josh, the chicken expert of the Wilco Feed Store... said they sometimes have ear tufts and sometimes don't, but the Araucanas they have are not the rarest true breed. Either way, this bird will be our hen who lays neat colors of green and blue eggs. What she will look like is a bit of a mystery, like the Bantam.
I thought instead of two of those I should get a Rhode Island Red for Neil. For some reason they were not on my bird radar, but I thought I'd surprise him, since he kept bringing them up. I could sense Josh had reservations. I pried and he politely described that in his experience that can be a bit like 'female dogs'... and if I was looking for a really friendly bird, they were more hit or miss. He recommended a Barred Rock as a breed with the friendliest birds he's had. They have black and white stripes and lay brown eggs. So far she does seem really sweet and gentle, more than any of the others. Her feathers stick out a bit and she is the most downy and might be a bit younger.
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Meanwhile, the Australorps have been nicknamed The Vultures. They grow by the hour and have a lot of energy. I did experiment letting all five together and the little ones definitely hold their own; throw their little wings up and back up the big ladies and they all seem excited about each other.
That said - The Vultures feet are bigger than the heads of the little ones and easy to step wrong in their excitement - so they've got a cardboard divider for now. Eventually the two ladies will get official individual names. Australian words? It just hasn't come to us yet. Personalities still developing...
They love fresh greens.
