Dorking? Silver Leghorn? or ??? (Pic Heavy)

[Auburnchick]

I have a pair of hens, just over a year old, whose breed is a mystery to me. I got them from a friend as pullets--she had a double order of Murray McMurray's Rare Breed Layers, and gave some of her extras to me. Ever since, I have been trying to pin down what they are, For a long time, I had settled on Silver Leghorn, but now I am leaning more towards Silver Dorking.

Pros for Dorking:
-more docile than my other birds (Spanish and Polish)
-white legs
-possible fifth "toe" (or spur? on a hen? see pics below)

Cons:
-smaller than I thought a Dorking would be
-check out the white earlobes:



Everything I've read about Dorkings says they are an oddity in that they have red earlobes but lay white eggs. These girls of mine do NOT have red earlobes....but then neither does this girl in a pic from feathersite, so I dunno:



Anyway, here are a few more pics of my gray-feathered girls. (Their names are Rock-egg and Loudy, so dubbed by my two boys.)







And here are the spur/toe things in question. (I promise that this is a she, and that she lays eggs!)



What do you guys think? I am still a relative newbie...this is my first little flock.

 

[akcountrygrrl]

That is her spurs and not a fifth toe. The fifth toe would be located right by the back toe and actually be connected to the back toe. Dorkings also have very short legs for their body size and have a very low slung look to them. Leghorns SHOULD have yellow legs. I think you have hatchery quality Leghorns.

 

[Auburnchick]

Thanks, akcountrygrrl. I have heard that hatchery chickens are often not carefully bred to the standard.

 

[hdowden]

looks like a hatchery leghorn

 

[Auburnchick]

Ok, so most likely a pair of Leghorns. How common is it to find hens with spurs? Is it a Leghorn thing?

 

[Whittni]

Actually any hen can grow spurs, it has to do with masculine hormones, I forget what there called for a second. Oh I got its the levels of testosterone.

 

[donrae]

That is her spurs and not a fifth toe. The fifth toe would be located right by the back toe and actually be connected to the back toe. Dorkings also have very short legs for their body size and have a very low slung look to them. Leghorns SHOULD have yellow legs. I think you have hatchery quality Leghorns.

x2
Seems like the white egg layers and the gamey types are more likely to have spurs as hens, just my very non scientific back yard observations. Also more likely to increase with age, I've had dual purpose hatchery hens get spurs after 3 years old.

 

[BlueCamas]

I'd say you have a hatchery quality Silver Leghorn. The hatchery might have even mixed their Silver Leghorns with their Silver Dorkings which would explain the pink legs.

 

[itybitychiknfrm]

i have a silver duckwing old english game bantam that looks exactly like that but a bit smaller. even the pink legs-i think thats a silver duckwing thing.

 

[Auburnchick]

Ok, so Silver Duckwing Leghorns it is....I guess I was right in the first place!

Whatever those two are, they are the sweetest of my five. They will let me pet and handle them with out FREAKING OUT like my Spanish ladies.

Thanks you guys!