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

 

[rutvica]

hi! sorry for not updating for so long. I could never find the time to take my camera and do the job... so yesterday I gave up and took some pictures of the chickens and the coop with my phone. It is not cleaned or prepared for photos in any way (I was just getting them some kitchen scraps and decided to do a quick photoshoot

). The coop is still not totaly finished, although it has been in use for months and I don't really clean it, I am doing a deep litter, so I just add more stuff and that's it

So here is the coop, it is made from the leftover wood from our old roof, so it is definitely not fancy

*everything is repurposed, there is a window on the door that is closed here

*we did 30 cm deep cement blocks foundations around and there is additional netting on the floor of the coop to keep the chickens more safe at night

*this is the yard, just dirt and composting on top

*this is their ash spa...

*outside reach for the eggs (someday)

*inside of the coop (you can see the little door with a string we use to open and close them from outside...also the gaps in between the planks... the winter is coming and we are still deciding wether to close them or not, any suggestions welcome!)

*the top openings, also there are openings also near the bottom, covered in netting

*the nesting boxes, not finished yet...


So, that's it guys...

 

[rutvica]

And now the chikens. I thought I knew the boys from the girls, but I am not sure again, so comments welcome

*this is mijo, the guy of the group. He was developing as expected, until a month ago, when the other chicken outgrew him and became dominant and he just withdraw...he was even spending time by himself during the day and generaly he is not the boss anymore. I think he is going through identity crisis

He didn't even want to get up for this picture...


*this is mokoš, the currently dominant one. she even tries to crook...so I am starting to think I have a big black rooster.. you can't see here but she is bigger than all the rest

*here you can see mišo (the one that was extra small, he really developed and is as big as all of the others...still the bravest one <3)

*perla and cica (with mokoš in between)

*bijela...stealing dogs food

*mala...smaller than the rest

 

[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