i got 27 free chickens today but dont know the breed

[Wolfy1972]

hey everyone i picked up 27 chickens this evening, they guy said they are in there first year of laying. he said they are not leghorns but couldnt tell me what kind of breed they are. to me they look like leghorns and weigh (best guess) 3 pounds each. ill be posting pics tomorrow. is there a type that look like leghorns that are not leghorns. there is black specks on some of the feathers but not all of them have the specs. they have large red combs also

 

[sourland]

They may be a production cross with a heavy leghorn background. Sounds as if you scored some good hens.

 

[LRH97]

Like sourland said, they might be crosses with lots of Leghorn in them, hence the large combs. It'll be easier to identify them with the pictures.

 

[Bullitt]

hey everyone i picked up 27 chickens this evening, they guy said they are in there first year of laying. he said they are not leghorns but couldnt tell me what kind of breed they are. to me they look like leghorns and weigh (best guess) 3 pounds each. ill be posting pics tomorrow. is there a type that look like leghorns that are not leghorns. there is black specks on some of the feathers but not all of them have the specs. they have large red combs also

Looks like a White Leghorn with black specks. I would say California White. A California White is created by crossing a California Gray rooster with a White Leghorn hen.

But they should be about 5 1/2 pounds each if they are fully grown hens.

http://www.cacklehatchery.com/califwhitepage.html

 

[Wolfy1972]

the people i got them from said that this last summer they each were laying an egg everyday. then winter hit and they stopped laying ( they didnt have enough light for them to produce i noticed) they are white egg layers, i did see 6 eggs in 1 nesting box this evening when i was picking them up. im hoping i did good at finding this flock. this is the first time ive raised chickens myself

 

[lazy gardener]

Do you have a coop for them? If you noticed eggs in the nest box, and you're set up to keep them, it truly sounds like you got a good deal if these birds are as young as their previous owner says they are. Be sure to check them thoroughly for signs of mites and lice. congratulations, and I'm betting that you're going to have a blast as you venture into chicken keeping.

 

[donrae]

Sounds like an Ideal 236 or similar Leghorn based hybrid.

 

[Wolfy1972]

i believe they are California white chickens. we got 3 eggs when i checked on them tonight. they are doing well and settling down. im going to let them settle in for a few more days then ill turn the lights on 17 hrs a day. i checked them for lice and mites and so far i havent found any signs of those. they are molting though ( my neighbor came over to see the girls). they are all really friendly and im heating the coop only for keeping the water thawed out. I didnt get a chance to take pics of them today, but im hoping to tomorrow.

 

[Bullitt]

i believe they are California white chickens. we got 3 eggs when i checked on them tonight. they are doing well and settling down. im going to let them settle in for a few more days then ill turn the lights on 17 hrs a day. i checked them for lice and mites and so far i havent found any signs of those. they are molting though ( my neighbor came over to see the girls). they are all really friendly and im heating the coop only for keeping the water thawed out. I didnt get a chance to take pics of them today, but im hoping to tomorrow.

California Whites are supposed to be good winter layers.

Although a chicken can molt at any time, it is not common for chickens to molt in winter. Chickens also usually molt in their second year.

A little heat may be good if they are molting, especially if you are in a cold region. Where are you located?

If you want light for better egg production, they need a total of 14 hours of light per day. That means if you have 10 hours of daylight, you need to turn on the light for 4 hours for a total of 14 hours of continuous light.

They probably will lay pretty well even without light. They just need to settle into their new home. Of course if they are molting that will slow down their laying. Either way, if they are young California Whites you will soon have a lot of eggs. Are you planning to sell eggs?

 

[Wolfy1972]

Thank you for the information. We live in central Michigan. i was thinking this weekend ill turn on the light in there (75 watt bulb in a brooder light). im probably going to put it a couple feet above the water pan to keep it from freezing when the cold front moves out (hopefully next week) till them ill just keep the heater on low. next spring im building a perminate coop and run/ chicken tractor. the run is going to be totaly enclosed due to the hawks and owls we have around here. the people we got them from said this was their first year laying and they were all laying 1 egg per day till the snow hit. (they didnt have any lights or heat out in the coop) i know they dont need heat to lay eggs or survive im just heating it to ensure their water supply dosen't freeze up.