Black hen with feathered legs

[chic-quita]

Can anyone ID this beautiful bird/chicken breed that just showed up in our yard one day 2 weeks ago to get bird feed on ground under feeders.... and she hangs in the same spot as our old cat that died 3 weeks ago.... awfully coincidental that the bird hangs where cat did.... you are what you eat????? We live in SW VA in Blue Ridge Mtns and need to find a home for this chicken that I really think is too cool.... very friendly as it were and LOVES bananas.... my wife thinks I'm silly but she likes her too.... we call her Chic-quita! for the bananas! Can she survive the winter's here in mtns w/o coop? Please help as we are new to all this....

 

[spish]

looks like my french copperneck marans....

 

[Illia]

Not a Marans. She has yellow soles and too much leg feathering.

The color of a Black Copper Marans can be easily imitated by crossing a black chicken with almost any brown or gold colored chicken. . .


Your girl might be a Marans cross, but is likely something else.



She'll be fine and survive the winter just fine though

As long as she has a well insulated coop.

 

[draye]

Quote:
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Pretty though.

 

[Uniontown Poultry]

Looks kind of like a booted Cooper Maran but probably just a pretty mutt. If she laid an egg for you and it was a real dark one, I'd let that tip the scale into Marandom. Otherwise - mutt.

I don't think she could handle a mountain winter outside a coop. Even if it was a mild winter, she might not freeze, but still there are too many predators that would love to eat a pretty hen like her (raccoons, owls, hawks, coyotes, weasels, stray dogs, etc. etc.). I'm a little surprised nothing's got to her yet if she's just running around loose.

Is it possible for you to keep her? A small coop the size of a doghouse and full of straw can provide good winter protection at night (a friend makes it even warmer). A fenced in area for a run provides protection and excercise. And then again, there are "house chickens" out there too... just a thought.

 

[smarsh]

It still likely some verson of a cooper maran, however true to breed she may or may not be, pure bred or not. we can start saying what she isn't and the only thing left is mutt and cooper maran.

pretty bird