newbie looking for identification help and advice

[rutvica]

hi, just joined

I have 8 chicks, about 5 1/2 weeks old. and would like some help identifying their breed (well, breed mixes, at least vaguely).

1. this is annika, she is 3 days younger than the rest but much smaller. sha hached from an egg we brought home in our pocket when we were on a trip in denmark (we are from croatia, it's a long story). she is a mix of maran cockorel and swedish flower hen. we didn't want her to be alone, so we then bought seven other chicks, all mix breeds. I hope she is a she, but she is so small still I really don't know... any ideas?


2. this is mijo. he is the biggest, has a big crest and acts really "cockorely", so I think he is a he. he is a mix of "green egg layer" (that's basically what the man who sold him to us said) and a "speckled egg layer" (that's what the local people call them, I will attach a picture of a typical bird below). any idea what those breeds could be called?



3. this is another chick that is the same mix, she is smaller so I think it's a she


4. this is supossed to be a mix of leghorn and a "red egg layer" (again this is what the local people call them, I9ll attach a picture of what they usually look like). I think it is a she.







5. this is mišo. he is the same mix, but he is much smaller. we picked him because we liked him and we thought annika would like to have someone her own size. The man gave him for free - hr was glad to get rid of him. he came from a really small egg and was left to die, but he bounced back and is the most curious and the bravest of them all. he acts like a he, but doesn't look like it. opinions? below is a picture of him and the chick above for size comparison...







6. this is cica. she is suposed to be the same mix as the two above, but se looks different. I think she is a she because she is the most docile one and lets my 2,5 year old smother her with love for ages at a time (poor thing).




7. this is a mix of australorp and the above mentioned "red egg layer". I think it is a she because of her looks, but she is bossy and big and acts cockorely in a way so I am not sure...




8. this is the same mix. a bit smaller and more docile. I think a she


thank you for your time and advice

 

[alwaysotherfish]

I have seen a lot of people commenting on chick photos, a common thing that I see if if the chick has a predominant comb that is turning red there is a good chance of it being male, I am seeing that on a few of your chicks. I know I'm not a big help, but I am new at this and learning. Cheers!

 

[rutvica]

Thank you alwaysotherfish, I was reading that also, and one would expect generaly at least half would be male, but I guess one sees what he wants to see So I am looking and thinking: is that red...no, more of a yellowish- pinkish hue... definitely not red )) that's why it is good for someone else to take a look

 

[rutvica]

I just realised there is a section called "What Breed Or Gender is This?" and I really should've posted this thread there... sorry, should've looked around better. can a moderator move this whole thread there? or should I start a new one? or should I be asking this the moderator directly? or will he read it since my posts are anyway moderator supervised? NEWBIE ALLERT

 

[rjdemille]

T

hi, just joined I have 8 chicks, about 5 1/2 weeks old. and would like some help identifying their breed (well, breed mixes, at least vaguely). 1. this is annika, she is 3 days younger than the rest but much smaller. sha hached from an egg we brought home in our pocket when we were on a trip in denmark (we are from croatia, it's a long story). she is a mix of maran cockorel and swedish flower hen. we didn't want her to be alone, so we then bought seven other chicks, all mix breeds. I hope she is a she, but she is so small still I really don't know... any ideas? 2. this is mijo. he is the biggest, has a big crest and acts really "cockorely", so I think he is a he. he is a mix of "green egg layer" (that's basically what the man who sold him to us said) and a "speckled egg layer" (that's what the local people call them, I will attach a picture of a typical bird below). any idea what those breeds could be called? 3. this is another chick that is the same mix, she is smaller so I think it's a she 4. this is supossed to be a mix of leghorn and a "red egg layer" (again this is what the local people call them, I9ll attach a picture of what they usually look like). I think it is a she. 5. this is mišo. he is the same mix, but he is much smaller. we picked him because we liked him and we thought annika would like to have someone her own size. The man gave him for free - hr was glad to get rid of him. he came from a really small egg and was left to die, but he bounced back and is the most curious and the bravest of them all. he acts like a he, but doesn't look like it. opinions? below is a picture of him and the chick above for size comparison... 6. this is cica. she is suposed to be the same mix as the two above, but se looks different. I think she is a she because she is the most docile one and lets my 2,5 year old smother her with love for ages at a time (poor thing). 7. this is a mix of australorp and the above mentioned "red egg layer". I think it is a she because of her looks, but she is bossy and big and acts cockorely in a way so I am not sure... 8. this is the same mix. a bit smaller and more docile. I think a she thank you for your time and advice

he striped looking ones look like barred rock or also called Plymouth rocks the reds may be Rhode Island reds and the one clear to the bottom with the tan and brown striped head looks like my Easter egger

 

[junebuggena]

Mojo looks like a Barred Rock cockerel. The picture of the red hens look like Red sexlinks. They are a hybrid themselves and don't breed true, so it's possible to get many different variations from them depending on what they are crossed with. So far, Mojo is your only for sure cockerel.

 

[rutvica]

Thank you for your answers,

I think it really could be a mix with plymouth rock and I am glad to read that they are hardy. The lighter ones are the most docile and the slowest to react, which is how I imagine industrial hybrids to be (I don't know much, so I have prejudice , so it might be a sexlink. There is so much I need to learn... what I wanted are hardy and independent birds for laying eggs, so far they are doing great, but who knows..

If only Mijo would stay the only cockorel... Of course it would be really unbelieveable luck since I picked them "on a feeling" (I read about the feather lengths only after buying them, of course... They are still quite young so I just have to wait...

 

[tjo804]

Miso being small egg / Small Chick may be a Bantam variety.

I have only heard good things about sex-links. I have some leghorns that are NUTS! They are very loyal layers but I dont think I would have them in my flock again.

I am amazed that you were able to cary an egg home in your pocket and then to hatch it out too! WOW.
It does appear to me that you may have a nice begining to a great flock just make sure to breed the best layers and best personalities and you may have eggs and friends coming out your ears!

Good luck with your flock

 

[Phill98]

Hello! I'm also from Croatia and welcome to BYC! So glad somebody else from here joined. (Btw, where do you live?)

The barred ones are plymouth rocks or plymouth rock crosses. That is only barred breed you can easily get here. Also the red egg layers are the production reds and are hybrids and that is why you have various colors of their offspring. That brown striped one isn't amerucana 'cause you can't find them here. You can get green egg layer but that happens rarely.

I would also say that you have only one rooster. You were lucky. Very lucky.

I would also like to see your coop when it's done.

 

[rutvica]

Hi Phill98, I am in Vukomerić

It will be really lucky if it turns out to be true (that Mijo is the only guy), but I noticed today that mišo's crest has started to grow...still not pink though We'll see...

We are still building our coop, totally improvising since it is on a slope and we are trying to recycle as much materials as possible, but the wire itself cost us more than we wanted to spend ) It took us a week to do the foundations and we are thinking up the design as we go along, so we spend a lot of time sitting inside the future coop and wandering what to do next We have a lot of predators here and want to secure them as good as we can, although nothing is really secure. Just last week a weasel was snooping around the mini coop in the middle of day, and local cats and dogs are getting any chance to come and check out if there is any possibility of a quick snack...also there are fox burrows right under our yard in the forest and martens are notorious - they killed 13 birds in one night this winter at our neighbours. Also the birds of prey are abundant and like to eat chicken

We are going to try the deep litter method, since we are compost lovers, so we are keeping the dirt floors and see how it goes... I will post pictures...when we finally finish...

I have another question. A friend asked if we would adopt a pair of indian runner ducks.. we plan to have a pair of ducks with the chickens someday, but I am worried if it is to soon to put them together since the ducks are grown up and the chickens are still young? Or maybe it would be a god idea to introduce the ducks when we move the chicks to the big coop? Or we should wait for the chicks to grow up? Any ideas are welcome...