Hey, y'all!
I'm looking for some opinions on the breed of one of my hens, Sheba. She's really roughly about two years old. I got her last October, fully grown and laying eggs a few times a week. She was paler in the face and skinnier then; she's since grown prettier feathers, a healthier comb, and lays a nice light brown egg every day.
Her former owner told me that she was a barred rock, which I was inclined to believe. This lady was a hobbyist chicken keeper, mainly just for eggs, and wasn't collecting any uncommon breeds. I saw lots of other barred birds there, but can't recall now what color their legs were. I'm not sure if Sheba was born there from that group or not.
Sheba's legs are a very pale color, and to me, her barring seems a little messy. At first, I figured that this was because of poor nutrition, and that she'd grow out of it after a while. She has grown in her feathers, but the barring pattern still looks fuzzy to me. Her legs are a very pale yellow, and their color has not changed at all. When I Google both breeds, the barred rock seems too bright yellow, and the Marans look too white. I've had one other barred bird before, a barred rock with very crisp lines and bright yellow legs. Sheba looks nothing like that to me.
The only other option as far as I know is a Cuckoo Marans, but I am under the impression that those are a rare breed here in the U.S., particularly in rural Georgia. This lady didn't strike me as someone who would buy rare breeds and then resell them for very cheap.
Sheba lays light brown eggs that are the same size and color as the eggs I get from my New Hampshire and my Turken. They're so similar that once I collect them all, I can't tell which one was Sheba's. Also the same color as the eggs I used to get from my old barred rock.
What do y'all think?
I'm looking for some opinions on the breed of one of my hens, Sheba. She's really roughly about two years old. I got her last October, fully grown and laying eggs a few times a week. She was paler in the face and skinnier then; she's since grown prettier feathers, a healthier comb, and lays a nice light brown egg every day.
Her former owner told me that she was a barred rock, which I was inclined to believe. This lady was a hobbyist chicken keeper, mainly just for eggs, and wasn't collecting any uncommon breeds. I saw lots of other barred birds there, but can't recall now what color their legs were. I'm not sure if Sheba was born there from that group or not.
Sheba's legs are a very pale color, and to me, her barring seems a little messy. At first, I figured that this was because of poor nutrition, and that she'd grow out of it after a while. She has grown in her feathers, but the barring pattern still looks fuzzy to me. Her legs are a very pale yellow, and their color has not changed at all. When I Google both breeds, the barred rock seems too bright yellow, and the Marans look too white. I've had one other barred bird before, a barred rock with very crisp lines and bright yellow legs. Sheba looks nothing like that to me.
The only other option as far as I know is a Cuckoo Marans, but I am under the impression that those are a rare breed here in the U.S., particularly in rural Georgia. This lady didn't strike me as someone who would buy rare breeds and then resell them for very cheap.
Sheba lays light brown eggs that are the same size and color as the eggs I get from my New Hampshire and my Turken. They're so similar that once I collect them all, I can't tell which one was Sheba's. Also the same color as the eggs I used to get from my old barred rock.
What do y'all think?
