Einstein is a Houdan…not a Polish…a chicken surprise…

So, my little Einstein...that was originally supposedto be a Polish hen, is not a Polish hen. Now, as the girls developed, it became more and more obvious to me that Einstein was making a departure from Phyllis in the looks department. Phyllis's hair just got bigger and more impressive, whereas Einstein's never really got any fancier than when she was a pullet. Phyllis's waddles came in pretty good sized in the last two months...Einstein..nada. Phyllis has also gotten a good bit bigger than Einstein. Einstein has feathers on her legs...Phyllis does not. I kind of knew that Einstein's feather pattern really wasn't Polishesque. Now, I guess I've just been too busy to bother investigating this divergence of appearance. But I've been inspecting them a lot more lately (because they have the Pox) and it just couldn't be ignored any longer. After a tad bit of research, and some toe counting, it appears I have myself a Houdan...

Einstein, the mottled Houdan

Houdans have five toes total, Polish have four. That's the clincher. By the looks of it Einstein is a mottled Houdan and may even be a bantam at that. She's the smallest of all the gals, but was the first to start laying. Phyllis has continued to grow, but Einstein has stayed much smaller. I have to say, I'm kinda glad to have a Houdan. I'm already planning my spring 2010 acquisitions...still trying to decide what to get...anyone have any votes?!