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Wonder if anyone can identify what these chicks are. They are nearly 8 weeks old. The man I got the eggs off has lots of different birds, pheasant, bantams, guinea fowl, he said they are gold spangles Hamburgs but I am not so sure. They didn't look like any other chicks I have ever had, they were tortoiseshell colour and speckled. They hold down their wings and tails and have very big beaks, they have this really miserable look (don't think they really are), they have grey legs.

Thanks Lyn

Sorry, I am rubbish with technology, the 011 jpg is a bigger picture, one day I will learn about tinernet

Can't help, I'm afraid, but they're dead cute.

Zoe

Could they be pheasant bantams? either way they are lovely

We thought they may be pheasants, but having seen some young pheasants don't think they are, they also have grey legs and pheasants seem to have pink legs, they are really good at jumping up and trying to fly which is very odd, never had chicks that could do that from 3 weeks of age. I guess we have to wait until they grow up before we really find out what they are,

Becks, did you mean a pheasant crossed with a bantam, they are still a mystery to us and having now googled hybrids and discovering that this can happen, we are now wondering if they are indeed crosses with either pheasant or guinea fowl as the person we got the eggs from keeps both as well as hens, everyone who sees them says what on earth are they

No there is a variety of bantam called pheasant bantam, due to there colourings I presume.
Anyway they are pretty. Are you any nearer iding them?

No further along, they are fairly mysterious, but if these hybrids do exist (and some of the pictures look like what we have), then I would not be surprised if they were crosses with pheasant, lots of people have mistaken them for pheasant and another thing that has happened recently is that their toes have started turning pink from grey which seems a pheasant trait, so we will wait and see what happens, I have never seen the like before

Just thought I would post a new picture of these bantams, still dont know what they are, if anyone has any idea, I would like to know, they were supposedly gold pencilled hamburgs but I am not so sure

They look like rather fine Gold-pencilled Hamburgs to me. The colouring can vary on them as a breed but they look pretty close to the ones on here:
http://rosiesrarebreedpoultry.weebly.co ... mburg.html

With a bit of luck we'll be getting some Silver Spangled Hamburgs in a week or so, hope they'll look as good as yours do.

Thanks funky pixie, they do look like the picture, until the cockerel matures we won't know how what his tail feathers will look like, they seem to be growing by the day at the moment, they love getting up high, if I don't stop herd them into their night time quarters, they roost in the very top of the barn and crap all over everything below. Can you take some pictures of your silver spangled, would be interested in seeing them, thanks for the compliment they do look well.

cheers Lyn