Breed??

[ValD001]

I'm a brand new chicken owner. The chick in the back we rescued from a farm (abandoned by the mother) and the black one we picked up the next day as a companion. Any idea what breeds they may be? They were about 4 weeks old in this picture:


They were about 8 weeks old in the following two photos (taken over the weekend):





We're hoping they're both hens and I know it's a little early to tell, but any thoughts on gender would be appreciated as well.

Thanks!

 

[donrae]

The dark bird looks to be a mixed breed pullet...not sure what's in the mix except something black, something silver and both yellow-legged and straight combed, most likely.

The lighter bird is a cockerel, sorry. He's also a mix, the white legs say something like an Orpington or Susses, and the color says something red and/or Colombian in the mix.

 

[Cyan Night]

They both look like cockerels to me, but you might be lucky with the black one. That one might be a silver laced Wyandotte mix

 

[ValD001]

Thank you both! I was afraid the lighter one might be a cockerel but I've read that it's still too early to know for sure. So far "she" hasn't crowed and she doesn't seem to be dominant. We're keeping our fingers crossed because they're both turning out to be very sweet but if "she" is a "he" we can't keep him since we live in the city.

 

[donrae]

It's not too early to know for sure. Pullets don't have that much comb or redness in the comb at this age, and they don't have the darker shading on the wings this bird has. Lots of folks go ahead and keep them until they crow, but the sooner you start looking for another home the better your chances are of finding someone to take him.

 

[ValD001]

Shoot, we really liked him. So once we find him another home, we'll want to get another one as a companion for the black one. Should we get one the same age as her? (sorry, probably a stupid question...we're still learning all about this new venture!)

 

[BantamLover21]

Dark bird is a mixed breed pullet, but the other one is a mixed cockerel. If you're going to get another bird as a companion for the pullet, I would recommend that it be the same age or slightly younger.

 

[ValD001]

Good to know. We'll probably start looking this weekend. Just out of curiosity, when do pullets develop a red comb? We've seen the hen that we think is the lighter chick's mother and she has a really red comb (as well as dark tail feathers) so we had hoped all along that the chick would be a pullet taking after its mother.

Another question...how are the chicks from Tractor Supply? I'm thinking it might be better to get a sexed chick rather than going back to the farm (even though the owner has told us we're welcome to take any of the chicks...he has a couple dozen!).

 

[Cyan Night]

Pullets usually start to get red in the face anywhere from a week to a month before they start laying. I've never been to TSC but I normally have horrible luck with sexed feed store chicks. I like to do research to better my chances, but you still never know, there are some tricky chicks. Best of luck!