Six 8 Week Old Aquila; three with VERY gray combs. Unusual for the breed?

[Eagle Hen Keeper]

First time chicken raiser. Have Aquila; very little knowledge to be found on internet. Watching videos on "inspecting your chicken" and folk are talking "red combs, red wattles only". Issue is three of my six birds have gray combs. All seem very healthy, have a 15' x 5' run and 6' x 5' hemped coop ... I am posting because three have had "not red" combs from the moment the mini-combs could be seen progressing. Aquila owners, not "best guessers", preferred as responders, please. Unless you can relay information from Aquila owners who do NOT post to backyardchickens.

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

Welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Welcome to Backyard Chickens .. had to look up the breed.. dual purpose.

 

[rjmyooper]

Hello and Welcome. Enjoy all the information and friendly, helpful people.
We need pictures if you can.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Please post photos.

 

[Tookie]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

 

[Fuchsia]

Hello
Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

First time chicken raiser. Have Aquila; very little knowledge to be found on internet. Watching videos on "inspecting your chicken" and folk are talking "red combs, red wattles only". Issue is three of my six birds have gray combs.

According to one hatchery source (Dunlap)..

"The Aquila is a cross between the Black Australorp and Rhode Island Red, with a little White Plymouth Rock mixed in. "

Many black chickens will have grayish combs during their juvenile state. The red doesn't come until later as hormones change and set in.

Despite not owning this breed I have enough experience breeding, hatching, and raising different breeds of chickens (10+ years and close to 1000 birds if I had to guess) to state that while the comb color you describe might effect a specific "standard of perfection" if you were showing the birds.. In hybrids like this there can be variations and this comb color AND the rest of your behavioral description indicate there is NO cause for concern. All the hatchery pics seem to have some of them gray combs also! Hybrids like these also do not have a standard of perfection.

Image form Polaris poultry SAME photo also used by Jenks and the chick hatchery..

Notice the gray combs and wattles on at least 2 or 3 of these birds!

Hope this is the kinda help you were looking for! Welcome to BYC!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy, and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
How old are they? If they are young, my guess is the ones with red combs and wattles are your cockerels and the ones with gray are your pullets.