5-6 wk old chicks: Orpingtons? Ameraucanas? Marans? Mutt chickens?

Hi all,

Early in July, I bought eight chicks from a local farmer. In theory, they were four pure BBS Orpingtons and four buff Orpington/Ameraucana cross. Now, I love my chickies and I have no intention of breeding or showing them, so really this is just for my own curiosity, but I'm starting to suspect that I have something other than what I thought I had.

In particular, several of them have feathers on their feet, and a weird little comb that doesn't really seem like an Ameraucana pea comb or an Orpington single comb. I'd love for some eyes that are more experienced than mine to have a look at them and maybe give me an idea as to what breed or combination of breeds I have, and any insight as to pullet or cockerel status would be great, too!

Relevant information: their home farm had BBS Orps, Buff Orps, Marans, Welsummers and Easter Eggers. I have a feeling there may have been some mix-up? Anyway - here are some pictures.

(By the way: I love you guys! I have learnt more reading here than from any other source, and I'm just amazed at the combined force of knowledge and helpfulness on BYC. Big thank-you in advance.)

First, Fluffyboo, Count Fosco, and Prince. I believe that they are probably the Orpington/Ameraucana crosses, but two of them have kind of a funny little horseshoe-shaped comb and they all have funky head feathers, and Fosco has feathered feet - something else in there, maybe?)

Fluffyboo:



Count Fosco:

You can't see Fosco's comb very well in this picture, but it's very similar to Prince, below

Prince:


Prince, again - is that roo-ish coloring?


Then, we have Bismarck, Betsey Trotwood, Lady and Cookie. They were supposed to be BBS Orpington, but I'm wondering if they might be Marans? Or maybe a BBS/Ameraucana mix?


Bismarck:



Betsey Trotwood:


Lady:


Cookie:


Finally, there is Speckles, who doesn't seem to really 'fit,' appearance-wise, with any of the others. We were sure, early on, that Speckles was a girl, but he/she is looking more and more masculine as time goes on.


Any thoughts? Sorry if this got a bit long...

love fluffyboo's hair!!!

They are adorable! I don't think I will be much help as I am a new chicken owner who is just learning, lol. I can say that I have EE chicks who look similar to Prince and Count Fosco minus the head feathers, Count Fosco's wattles and his feathered feet. And I just have to say that I find Fluffyboo absolutely irresistibly adorable! She is sooooo cute!!

Aw... thank you! She's more than just a pretty face, too. She has to be the sweetest, calmest little chicken I've ever known. I just love her.

So I'm pretty sure that farmer is up in the night.....I don't really see any of the breeds he told you about!

Fluffyboo, count fosco, and prince look like they could possibly be crested cream legbar crosses or silkie crosses(several generations out) count fosco and prince look to be roosters.

Bismarck, Betsy trotwood, and lady look like they could possibly be French marans (crosses?) or maybe even Cochins (crosses?) ...if Betsy and lady have feathered feet. Bismarck also looks like a rooster.

Cookie may be an Easter egger...?

Speckles looks like a speckled sussex, most likely a cross. And also looks pretty roosterish.

Those are my best guesses for you I hope that helps!

Edited to add....

Thanks for your reply, and for the welcome.

I had to google crested cream legbar, and I see what you mean - it would at least explain the funny little hats, and the coloring is very similar. Google also tells me that there is a farm not terribly far from me that raises CCRs, so it's not too much of a stretch to think that there could have been some interbreeding at some point back in their family tree.

Betsey and Lady have lightly feathered feet. Not nearly as much as Bismarck, but a ladylike bit of feathering. I was thinking Marans too, because there were apparently Marans on the same farm. I guess I'll have a better idea once they start laying.

Also, your cockerel/pullet breakdown is exactly what I was suspecting myself, but hoping to be wrong. I guess my next bit of research will be on keeping multiple roosters, or building a second coop.

Thanks so much for your input!

Yup no problem! They are cute chickies...I love the crested ones the most!

chicken named fluffyboo,
username named fluffyboo,
get the resemblance!!!
PS. I am not a chicken or.....at least not last time I checked

Honestly, I don't see any of the breeds you mentioned. They look like mixes of mixes, where no one breed stands out. The birds with white legs could have some Orpington ancestry, but black and buff are both hard to override with other colors, so I'm thinking none of the birds have a black or buff parent. You've got dark legs and light legs, different combs, crests...it all kinda looks like genetic soup.

Pullet
probable cockerel
probable cockerel
probable cockerel
likely a pullet
pullet
pullet
cockerel

those chicks are all kinds of mixed up. honestly, I dont se anything that would point to any of the breeds you mentioned. None of themappear to have beards or pea combs, like ameraucana. No single combs like any of the other breeds either. Marans do have feathers legs, but it is very light. None of these breeds have crests or rose combs.
the first couple look like they may have some silkie blood in them, the ones with crests and leg feathers.

did you see the parent birds? I would conact the place they came from