Meet the ladies...

[chickenmomma16]

Oh! So many replies, thank you all! Where to start...

okay to be honest, I didn't even fully read the top part above the pictures! I'm terrible! I agree with the poster above on the body style though. They do all have that lean, leghorn look. I guess I just assumed they were young, and hadn't grown into the stockier dual purpose bodies...

How old are they, OP?

They are all under white hens are 3 years and the others are over 1 forsure. Except 2 babies from one of the black hens who hid her eggs from my aunt (who I got the chickens from) I know the 2 babies are a heinz 57 they totally look it.

I understood that. OP did not say these are leghorn crosses. But it sounded like all the birds came from the same place and if some are more obvious leghorn blood, it leads me to thing these are also.

Yes they came from the same place but I dont have much history. The 2 "red necks" came from one place and the 2 blacks came from someplace else the white hens are the oldest and they were bought in bulk. My aunt started out with probably about 50+ straight run chicks, all white. Thats all I remember when I heard she first got them.

Personally, I think they're all mixed.
The speckeled bird probably has a lot of sussex in her, but the legs are off and the body type doesn't look like my birds.
The second one could be a sex link, the color is right.
The third and fourth ones--well I don't know much about marans but the last one really doesn't look like an australorp to me. The body style isn't right.

Did anyone else notice the large combs on the last three especially, with that big overhang on the back? Since all of them look too light bodied to be the breeds they mostly resemble, I'm thinking there's leghorn in there somewhere, esp since OP says she has some leghorn mix. I'm guessing these birds just came from a backyard breeder and mixes are a great possibility.

All mixed is fine with me!

Yes, I agree with all above. Not a Marans expert, but have read that the breeding stock from England tends to have clean legs (no feathers) while the French breeding stock has sparsly feathered legs. If a Marans, you will know by the very dark brown egg.

I applaud chickenmomma16 for doing so much research. Identification can be tough, especially when many chickens have other breeds bred into their lines, with the intent of improving or adding a desirable trait. You also get "unwanted" traits from these crosses, but the chickens can still be great.

Your girls all look lovely and healthy, and seem happy to have such a great place to run around!

Best wishes!

They have clean legs and I do not get dark brown eggs from them. All the hens lay different shades of brown, from light to med even the white girls. Thanks Wishing4Wings! I have always been intrested in breeding and lines of my other pets, the chickens have proved no different! They are comming from free ranging at their previous home to staying in a coop because of neighbor dogs, coyotes, racoons... you name it we have it. So they are going a bit stir crazy and I hear from one hen every time I go out there, she follows me and gives me a peice of her mind about being kept in. Its kinda cute, but they do have plenty space in the run and coop for the 17 of them.





Its nice to get everyones input. It is much better then scratching my head at hundreds of pictures over the net.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I keep mentioning my white girls so here are a few:

3 have this gold lacing on the front and they are by far the heavier gals



3 have the black/gray specks (sorry you have to look close!)




Kinda bad pic for identifying but here is one of the all white hens who talks to me all the time. The 2 all white girls are by far my favorite. They are both friendly and are the smallest of the group.





All the white hens lay light brown eggs if that helps any. Im pretty sure they are all mixed with something.

 

[chickenmomma16]

I keep mentioning my white girls so here are a few:

3 have this gold lacing on the front and they are by far the heavier gals



3 have the black/gray specks (sorry you have to look close!)




Kinda bad pic for identifying but here is one of the all white hens who talks to me all the time. The 2 all white girls are by far my favorite. They are both friendly and are the smallest of the group.





All the white hens lay light brown eggs if that helps any. Im pretty sure they are all mixed with something.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Nice looking hens! I love barnyard mixes. Kind of classic, aren't they? Wish I had more insight into possible breeds. I have an 18 wk White Leghorn hatchery pullet, and she has a much more slender frame than your girls, but she's still young (and a very small sample size too). She does have a surprisingly fun personality, very out going and friendly, which I was not expecting from an "egg laying machine."

We don't have a large property, but I fenced off a good size portion of the yard for the chickens that is dog free (I have to worry about my own dopey dogs!). So while they can't exactly free range, the chickens have a pretty big area that's safe to run around in during part of the day, and they return to get locked in the coop at night (safe from those pesky raccoons). If you can't let yours out at all, they'd probably really love some greens thrown into the pen. This will make them happy and makes the eggs have those nice orange yolks.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[chickenmomma16]

Nice looking hens! I love barnyard mixes. Kind of classic, aren't they? Wish I had more insight into possible breeds. I have an 18 wk White Leghorn hatchery pullet, and she has a much more slender frame than your girls, but she's still young (and a very small sample size too). She does have a surprisingly fun personality, very out going and friendly, which I was not expecting from an "egg laying machine."

We don't have a large property, but I fenced off a good size portion of the yard for the chickens that is dog free (I have to worry about my own dopey dogs!). So while they can't exactly free range, the chickens have a pretty big area that's safe to run around in during part of the day, and they return to get locked in the coop at night (safe from those pesky raccoons). If you can't let yours out at all, they'd probably really love some greens thrown into the pen. This will make them happy and makes the eggs have those nice orange yolks.

Thanks for sharing!

My ladies get greens or some sort of fruit left overs almost everyday. And as soon as I get the money to put some mesh in 2 sides of the pasture next to them they can free range during the day again. Its funny you say that about your little leghorn girl because the 2 hens that are always by my feet (and triping on) are the 2 that I think are the most pure bred leghorn. They are so fun!

 

[Hezz]

I would say you are correct with your guesses on the Speckled Sussex, Red/Gold sex link, and the Copper Marans, but the black one, besides a Marans, could also be a Jersey Giant, it's definitely not an Aussie. It has, what looks like yellow feet, in the pic. And the white ones might be White Rock mixes if they're laying brown eggs. Just my thoughts....

 

[chickenmomma16]

Could my white hens be Ideal 236s? Post # 12 (and 13... Sorry double post) has the pics of my white girls. Just curious, I will still love them if they are mutts.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

It's possible! Ideal 236 is a white Leghorn cross, so that would make it a mutt anyway! Personally, I think yours look more like white rock crosses by their shape. What color eggs?

 

[chickenmomma16]

It's possible!  Ideal 236 is a white Leghorn cross, so that would make it a mutt anyway!  Personally, I think yours look more like white rock crosses by their shape. What color eggs?

They all lay light brown to creamy colored eggs none are pure white.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

The Ideals are supposed to lay white and I don't see anything about a gold breast in the description. You can give them your own name! How about Mystery Mutt?!