weird RIR hen

murphynhazel12

Songster
Jul 4, 2020
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not sure if this is the right place for this, but i wanted to ask about one of my hens. this isn't really a "new" issue or anything as the hen in question is 3 years old, but i wanted to know if there's something wrong with her or if she's just a little different. here's the hen in question- her name is Clementine.
image000000(22).jpg

she's always looked different from other RIR hens I've seen. we used to have another RIR that we actually got at the same time, and she was totally different. here's a picture of her for comparison
image000000(23).jpg

she has the typical big floppy comb and dark red feathers. she was also built like a layer, slim, compact, and tall. she laid a big creamy egg every day. Clementine however is a little small and very round. she's smaller than the two golden cuckoo marans we have now who are the same age. she also has maybe laid 3 or 4 eggs in her whole life and they were all tiny. her comb is small and she's a lighter red color. she's our sweetest hen and we love her (even though she's a freeloader), but I'm wondering if there's any underlying cause to her strangeness. have any of you had a hen like this before? is she a whole different breed that just happened to end up with the RIRs at tractor supply? any input is appreciated!
 
I dont think a RIR should have a floppy comb. I have a bantam RIR from a true breeder. She looks more like your Clementine. The other RIR looks more like a red laying hybrid mixed with leghorn.
Dutch site with a good picture:
http://www.kippenencyclopedie.nl/php/index.php?title=Rhode_Island_Red
you're probably right, but the second picture is what seems to be the standard hatchery quality RIR here in the US as they're bred more for laying. i just wonder why she looks so different from another chick that's supposedly the same breed that we got at the same time from the same place, lol
 
Things get mixed up sometimes unintentionally. Maybe another cockerel passed his semen or the person who collected the eggs made a mistake. Or a genetic error occurred.

It reminds me of a surprise tulip I have. I have a pink parrot type tulip between the yellow ones I ordered.
 

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