I have looked all over, but can't find what breed this hen is.

[Jungleexplorer]

I moved out in the country five years ago and wanted some chicken right away. I got full grown chickens from all over, some bought and some given. Later I raised 36 Rhode Island Reds from chicks that I bought at the local feed store. At some point I got five hens that have really proven to be great chickens. Not only are they pretty, but they seem to have a survivor attitude. They are strong and very independent minded. Over the years I have lost all but one of them. I really want to identify what breed she is before it is too late. I have looked at thousands of photos online and cannot not find a picture that looks like her. Maybe someone here can help. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

She's likely a mutt, honestly. For a Wheaten Old English she has poor coloration, she's likely either not Wheaten or not pure Wheaten.


Whatever she is, she's got some kind of game in her and she certain is a gorgeous gal. I wouldn't recommend using her in a purebred program

Thanks lllia. I had several identical to her that I bought from a guy, so I thought she might be some kind of breed. Her coloring really is not what I am after though. I like her survivor attitude. What I mean is that she seems like a really hardy bird. I live out in the country and wanted some eggs, so I bought any full grown hen I could get my hands on to start with and then raised a flock of fifty Rhode Island Reds from chicks. I like the Rhode Island Reds because they are good egg layers and very tame, but they seem to be very fragile. It also seems like predators prefer them. I have a lot of predators here.

I also bought some other hens from the same guy I bought the one we are talking about. They are much smaller then the one I posted the picture of, but they are not Banties. I had five originally, but a dog I had killed one. They are also very hardy and seems to have a wild nature to them. I like them but they lay small eggs. Here is a picture of one (the others all look like her).



Anyway, I like the Rhode Island Reds, but I have lost 35 out of 50 of them (random death and predators) in the last two years and need to raise another flock. I would raise more Rhode Island Reds, but it just seems like they cannot handle the harsh conditions here in the desert very well, especially during the heat of the summer. Where as these other hens seem to do just fine in here.

Bottom line is that I am looking for a more hardy hen breed that will still be a good egg producer. The one hen in question here seems to have a balance of both and that is why I wanted to find what breed she was.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

You can't go wrong with Game chickens if you want hardy, independent birds. My Grandpa had an almost feral flock of them around his house for years that lived and reproduced independently. I had great fun as a kid finding the hidden nests in the barn and under the porch.

I know what you mean. I was a missionary to the Amazon jungle of Brazil for 12 years before moving back to the US. All of my chickens were like this, living and reproducing independently. I just fed them some corn once a day in the morning to keep them trained to come when called. It was a constant game for the kids to find their new nest. But you never find them all and every so often here comes a hen with a bunch of chicks. My flock of mixed breeds would grow so much that we would have to sell off a few dozen two to three times a year. I would love to have that kind of flock here, but the predators are so darn bad I am not sure if it would work the same.

 

[RThomas]

Wheaten Game. But, could be mixed.

 

[1muttsfan]

What color egg does she lay?

 

[fancyfowl4ever]

Looks like some sort of Game, American Game but I couldn't say what line.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

She lays a medium size cream color egg. But she refuses to lay in the my nesting area. She will jump the coup and lay in the weeds and stuff. That is what I meant by her being independent minded.

 

[Jungleexplorer]

Wheaten Game. But, could be mixed.

I had five of these originally and they were all almost identical. I guess they could all come from a single mix hatch, but seems unlikely. I looked at some pics of Wheaten hens and you are right, they very similar in body and shape. The color is a little off, but if mine were a mix, that would explain that.

 

[stone_family3]

I hope someone pins down the breed, she's beautiful and I'm pretty sure I want one

 

[Jungleexplorer]

After doing some more research on the Wheaten Hen. I discovered that the Wheaten is a variety of Old English Game. Also, I had a rooster that I got with these hens that was very pretty and I did not know what it was either. While looking at pics of Old English Game hens, I ran into a picture of Golden Duckwing Cock, which is a variety of Old English Game. The rooster I had looked identical to the picture Golden Duckwing Cock. So I am pretty sure at this point that this hen is a variety of Old English Game. According to the blog I read, they are one of the oldest breeds of fighting chickens. That would explain the strong independent attitude of these hens.