Is she really a RIR?

[HanwellChickens]

This is Dorothy. I was told when I got her that she was a RIR. She's much darker than the others and her comb and wattles are still quite small compared to the other girls. She was much smaller than the other girls initially but is now the same size as them.
She is my only girl not laying, but is now doing the "squat".


This is Penny. Also told that she was a RIR and looks like my other girls.


What do you think?

 

[Fred's Hens]

If she is darker than the others, it is quite possible the "others" are not RIR.

Yes, she looks to be a hatchery grade red. She's a bit slower to come to lay perhaps as further thinking that perhaps the others are not reds but something else? That'd be worth a photo to discover.

She looks as if you raised her with great care.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Did you get them all as day old chicks, or is it possible that Dorothy was a bit younger? They do mature at different rates anyhow and even in a group of the same girls the same age, they can start laying weeks or even months apart. Both your girls look like what feed stores and hatcheries around here sell as RIR or production reds, they do tend to vary in size and color since they're bred more for how well they lay eggs than for how they look. The show/heritage RIR tend to be bigger and a lot darker red. http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Reds/BRKRIR.html is the Feathersite page for RIR, they have pictures of show and other reds on there.

 

[HanwellChickens]

No I didn't get them as day old chicks, I bought them at 10-12 weeks. Dorothy has always been the darkest, smallest and the most vocal It doesn't really matter to me what they are, I am quite attached to all my girls. My husband calls me the chicken whisperer. lol

 

[KelsiNS]

Those look like my production red, Rosie