Can anyone help me ID what breeds these 2 roosters could be mixed with?

[Crystalf1972]

I incubated & hatched these 2 roosters this spring from eggs gifted me by a neighbor. The neighbor isnt sure what breeds they are or if theyre a BYM (Which is very probable) They are about 6 months old now.
I raise chickens for the eggs & just bc I enjoy them but I like to know, if I can find out, what breeds I might have so that I can research & give them the best care that I can. Them being a pure breed isn't at all important to me.
Ive asked on a couple of chicken groups online before & was told they were "mutts" which I expected. But nobody would really even guess at what breeds they could be made up from. So I thought I would try my luck here.
I enjoy incubating & hatching and since these are the 2 roosters I have to work with Id just like to see if anyone could help me figure out as much info as I can. I am just learning about chickens but I've read that theres actually some traits that you dont want to breed so this is another reason why im looking for suggestions on what these guys could be made up of.
The black/rust/red colored one is Bob. I think it's possible he may have a Black Copper Marans as at least 1 parent? What do you think? He has a single comb, 4 toes & clean slate colored legs
The 2nd gray & light brown colored one is Duke. My friend says that he is "blue something" but he can't remember what. Andalusian maybe? Duke has 4 toes, straight comb & clean gray legs. He also seems to have longer feathers on his neck? And I'm not sure if you can tell from any of the pics I added but the neck feathers look almost barred? And the brown feathers coming in on his wings seem to be coming in slower than the rest?
Because I'm still so new to this I'm not even sure if the info & pics I've given are relevant to helping figure out what breeds were used for these guys but if you need to see any other features let me know. I can add others.
Thanks for any ideas or suggestions!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Do you know what breeds or mixes the neighbor has? Or where the neighbor got their birds from? It's hard to guess on breeds in a mix, especially with young birds or birds in molt, because there are a number of combinations that, when bred together, can result in similar offspring. This is likely why no one chanced a guess at what your boys have in their background.

It is possible that Bob has Black Copper Marans in his background, yes. He appears to be birchen-based and have a gene that darkens gold to red, both very dominant traits of Black Copper Marans. I also believe I see a few stray feathers on his legs, which could indicate that as well. Without knowing the possible parents, it's hard to say if he's a pure BCM just out of poorer-quality stock, or if he's some kind of mix, however.

Duke looks to me like he's lavender rather than blue. Blue only dilutes the black parts of a feather to a blue-gray color, whereas lavender dilutes both the black and the reddish/gold parts of the feather, which would explain why Duke has more dull straw and pale orangeish markings compared to Bob; I would expect deep reds like Bob's or brighter yellows and oranges if Duke was instead blue. Lavender is recessive and pretty uncommon in general outside of hatchery Lavender Orpingtons, at least here in the U.S., which makes me wonder if Duke isn't just a mix of mixes.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

The black and red one is probably mixed with something X Black Copper Maran and the second one maybe Buff Orpington x Lavender Orpington.
Either way they are both very beautiful!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

the second one maybe Buff Orpington x Lavender Orpington.

Lavender being a recessive gene means that both parents must either be lavender or must be carrying the gene in order for any of their offspring to express it, and a pure Buff Orpington should not be carrying the gene. The bird in question could perhaps be the result of a second-generation cross between two birds that, themselves, were Buff x Lavender crosses, but he could not be the result from a Buff Orp crossed to a Lavender Orp, himself.

 

[Crystalf1972]

Do you know what breeds or mixes the neighbor has? Or where the neighbor got their birds from? It's hard to guess on breeds in a mix, especially with young birds or birds in molt, because there are a number of combinations that, when bred together, can result in similar offspring. This is likely why no one chanced a guess at what your boys have in their background.

It is possible that Bob has Black Copper Marans in his background, yes. He appears to be birchen-based and have a gene that darkens gold to red, both very dominant traits of Black Copper Marans. I also believe I see a few stray feathers on his legs, which could indicate that as well. Without knowing the possible parents, it's hard to say if he's a pure BCM just out of poorer-quality stock, or if he's some kind of mix, however.

Duke looks to me like he's lavender rather than blue. Blue only dilutes the black parts of a feather to a blue-gray color, whereas lavender dilutes both the black and the reddish/gold parts of the feather, which would explain why Duke has more dull straw and pale orangeish markings compared to Bob; I would expect deep reds like Bob's or brighter yellows and oranges if Duke was instead blue. Lavender is recessive and pretty uncommon in general outside of hatchery Lavender Orpingtons, at least here in the U.S., which makes me wonder if Duke isn't just a mix of mixes.

Thank you! I didn't know ow the blue/black info so that helps so much! I have asked the neighbor so many times what breeds he has and he just says he can't remember what they are..im.going to see if I can go look at his and maybe get some pictures..

 

[Crystalf1972]

The black and red one is probably mixed with something X Black Copper Maran and the second one maybe Buff Orpington x Lavender Orpington.
Either way they are both very beautiful!

Thank you! I think they're both beautiful boys too!