HELP BREED IDENTIFICATION!!

[blom545]

Thank you very much...Do you have any ideas on these?:

 

[sumi]

Considering the breeds you have available there by you I"m guessing BO, Australorp and RIR. I had a roo that looked just like yours and he was about 75% RIR. The Black ones looks like Australorps, but I'm not 100% sure. Also had an Australorp X that looked a bit like yours. I know BO's is now readily available in SA, a friend of mine bought a whole lot of them, day old, at a reasonable price. Think he paid R8/chick + shipping. Am not sure about the blue/grey ones. May be blue orps? Or Bluebells? What I'm thinking is you may have X's, like I did. I've found some dishonest breeders down there sadly advertise RIR etc and sell X breeds that looks a lot like they should, but when you breed with them you end up with liquorice chickens. Allsorts

Try reposting in the What Breed/Gender is This section and see what the experts say. I'm still learning myself LOL Must say it is nice to have so many breeds available here.

 

[blom545]

Where do you live?

 

[sumi]

I used to live in the Western Cape, but we moved to Ireland 3 weeks ago. We're staying in a small town in Co Cork now. Lovely, cold, wet place

 

[blom545]

Oh thats cool but i don't think I would the western cape for anything else I live in the Overberg

 

[sumi]

The Western Cape is gorgeous, but Ireland is breathtaking

Especially the coastal regions. Must just get used to the weather now!

 

[blom545]

haha jip i would think that what breeds of chickens do you have?

 

[sumi]

None at the moment. Ordered a coop and I think it'll be here tomorrow

Found a breeder selling hens locally. He's got some nice breeds, including Blue Bells and Marans. As soon as I get my coop and have everything ready I'll go buy some birds from him. Then I'll decide which breeds.

 

[blom545]

That sounds very nice i have a smaal free range egg buisness and i want to expand my flock but its difficult to find breeders and hactherys here

 

[sumi]

I also sold free range eggs. I had more than 100 chickens at some point. 40 Lohmans and the rest X bred "plaas hoenders"

I'll ask a friend where he got his BO chicks from. The Boschveld hens also lay well and they don't need anything fancy or expensive feed. They'll fly them down for you from JHB. Can't remember how much it cost exactly... think it was R120/box (100 chicks). I had one Boschveld hen and she laid nearly every day. She got cracked corn and she free ranged on a pasture. Never had layer pellets. What I found very interesting is that my X bred "plaas hoenders" outlaid the battery hens by far. And the battery pullets cost a fortune! The X breeds didn't get layer food, just cracked corn and grass and luserne and whatever wildlife they found in the pasture and they laid very well.