A backyard chicken owner just posted a photo of six-week-old pullets, supposedly all female, and asked the million-dollar question: spurs or fancy toes? The breed is Pearl Onyx, sometimes called Zombie, and the photo shows little nubs on the legs that could go either way. Our honest take? At six weeks, those are almost certainly just a fifth toe. True spurs take months to develop, and they usually don't show up as rounded, symmetrical bumps on both legs of every bird. The fact that this person picked them up yesterday adds another layer. New poultry arrives with a lot of mystery, and it's easy to see a tiny protrusion and assume the worst.
But let's talk about why this question matters. Six weeks is right around the age when people start worrying about roosters. A crowing hen is rare, but a hen with spurs is almost unheard of. If you see a hard, pointed bud that grows visibly each week, you might have a boy. If the bump stays soft, rounded, and matches what's on the other leg, you're probably looking at a toe that didn't fully separate in the breeding process. Pearl Onyx birds come from a mix that includes leg-feather and extra-toe genetics, so a fifth toe isn't a defect, it's a breed quirk. The real advice here: wait three more weeks. By nine or ten weeks, the difference between a spur and a toe becomes obvious. No need to panic, no need to re-home anybody based on a hunch.
We'd tell a reader who asked us about it to take a deep breath and watch the birds. Check those bumps every few days. If they get longer, sharper, and start curving slightly upward, you're dealing with spurs, and you might have a rooster. If they stay blunt, flat, and don't change shape, you've got a hen with fancy feet. The breed's name "Zombie" probably doesn't help the nerves, but it's just a marketing label, not a prophecy. In the meantime, enjoy the fact that your pullets have something to talk about. Most chicken owners never get to ask this question, and now you've got a fun little mystery that will solve itself in under a month. Get out a marker, note the date, and check back in three weeks. That's your concrete next step.