Extra Large Blk AM cockerel

This guy hatched May 31st, making him just a tad over 6 weeks. I cannot believe how HUGE he already is, especially in comparison to his hatch mates. You can see them all beside him in the pics. (Note: not everyone pictured is related)










He also has a funny looking pea comb, real thick with big spikes  …(please excuse the jammies  )



I’m not sure whether I should eat him or breed him quite yet!    Opinions?

I love their big fat fluffy heads!

And why would his hackle feathers be coming in so fast? It's like his growth is accelerated or something, and I have no idea why... And there is NO mistaking his hatch date. The only birds hatched before him were the BR crosses and 1 lone splash Ameraucana.

It's really weird.  

LoL me too Sue. Bearded birds are the bestest

Are they from you eggs or someone else's?
It appears to be a 'blade' comb to me and not a pea. If you have bred good pea combs to good pea combs this should not show up. It is usually the result of a cross of single and pea. Notice I used the words 'should' and 'usually'. Happy to talk a little more in a pm instead of posting first if you like.

Makes sense Coop. I expect I’ll be seeing lots of ‘blade' combs in the years ahead as I outcross to a single combed breed. Should be interesting what turns up!

Still don’t understand his size difference though. Guess I’ll just chalk it up to one of life’s great mysteries.   

I’ll email you a little later if you don’t mind.  I’d love to pick your brain (gently of course!) when you have some time.  Thanks!

Definitely keep him and see how he turns out. He is so much bigger, that he definitely is worth watching grow.  

Email away Flicker, I look forward to it.

 Steroids??

He sure has some awesome growth rate happening there, whatever the reason. He must have got just the right mix from that outcross for fast and furious growth right from the start. dont you just love these interesting and unexpected developments that come about when doing breeding projects!

You might be on to something there Kathy.  We’ve been joking calling him Sly Stallone… *snicker*  

Oh, and I haven’t actually done any outcrossing of breeds yet. Sorry for my badly written post above. Rereading it, I can see plainly why I shouldn’t multitask on the computer. Haha  No, this boy is ‘pure’ Ameraucana. (Or as pure as a fairly newish breed can be anyway.) I’ve read long time AM breeders still have oddball things pop up in their lines from time to time, so I think this stuff happens. I don’t sweat it. Just comes with the territory.

But the rapid growth thing. THAT part is really strange...