Mixed breed chicks - what might be the breed possibilities

[PaisyQ]

A lady I work with gave me some eggs for eating from her flock, then went off on an extended holiday, so I won't be able to ask her what she keeps until mid january. As I was getting ready to stick the eggs in the fridge, I remembered that she keeps roosters with her hens. Since I've been itching to hatch some eggs, it just made sense to stick some of them in the incubator instead of the fridge.

Now I have 6 little peepers in the brooder, all of them a little different. So now I'm curious. I'm betting it's a long shot on guessing what's in these little guys, but I figured I'd ask anyway.

What I do know about their parent flock: It's a completely free range flock, 18 hens and 3 roosters. The owner pretty much lets the broodies hatch out the next generation, but they do bring in new chickens from the feed store every 2 to 3 years. I can't remember exactly which breed she mentioned, but she did tell me she prefers one of the breeds with 'red' in the name; but it wasn't one of the sex-link or hybrids. She also likes EE's. Other than that, I don't know what she has.

Okay, here's some pictures:

Chick #1, hatched out of a green egg. Well, I know this one has EE in her. Actually, these first three are almost the spitting images of my 3 EE hens, when they were chicks.



Chick #2, hatched from a dark cream/very light brown egg:



Chick #3, wasn't there to witness the hatch, so this one came out of a brown egg, or a white egg



Chick #4, came from a brown egg or a white egg. Not sure how well the pictures show it, but she's a darkish yellow/orangy color, all through.



Chick #5, came from a brown egg or a white egg. This little one also has a different comb than all the rest; larger, more pointy things on it. Pale yellow color.



Chick #6, hatched from a white egg. Pale yellow color, with three blackish dots on her back.



So, any guesses?

 

[Kelsie2290]

The first three look to have have cheek puffs, they do look like EE/mixes... do any of the others have cheek puffs or pea combs that you can tell yet? The two common breeds with red in the name in feed stores around here are Rhode Island Red and maybe New Hampshire Red, both brown egg layers, the fourth chick could be a mix with that. The yellow chicks maybe White Leghorns or WL mixes, they often are white birds with a few black spots like the last chick, WLs are often sold in feed stores, and white eggs of course.

 

[1876 Farm]

Your light yellow with the 3 dots remind me of one of my BCM roo x Red Stars.... (It's a guess on the Red Star part since that is the only breed that I have that I can image to have a white offspring - I also have pure breed Buff and Barred Rock hens that crossed with my BCM roo)

At 3 days old, 6 weeks old and 9 weeks old.




The yellow one in the first picture is a BCM roo x Buff Orpington, here he is today:

 

[PaisyQ]

The first three look to have have cheek puffs, they do look like EE/mixes... do any of the others have cheek puffs or pea combs that you can tell yet? The two common breeds with red in the name in feed stores around here are Rhode Island Red and maybe New Hampshire Red, both brown egg layers, the fourth chick could be a mix with that. The yellow chicks maybe White Leghorns or WL mixes, they often are white birds with a few black spots like the last chick, WLs are often sold in feed stores, and white eggs of course.

#6 may have puffy cheeks, but she's pretty fluffy overall, so I'm not sure. Combs are barely noticable on most of them, except #5. Her's is quite a bit different than the others. I haven't really got experience to know, but I'm thinking she's got a single comb maybe, and the rest are going to be pea combs?

Your light yellow with the 3 dots remind me of one of my BCM roo x Red Stars.... (It's a guess on the Red Star part since that is the only breed that I have that I can image to have a white offspring - I also have pure breed Buff and Barred Rock hens that crossed with my BCM roo)

At 3 days old, 6 weeks old and 9 weeks old.




The yellow one in the first picture is a BCM roo x Buff Orpington, here he is today:

The brown eggs the chicks hatched from were nice and dark, but not as dark as a BCM egg. They are all mixes though. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[PaisyQ]

I thought I would update this with new pictures. Chicks are now about 3 and a half weeks old, and looking pretty dorky.

Chick #1:


Chick #2:


Chick #3:


Chick #4:


Chick #5:


Chick #6:

 

[Kelsie2290]

Interesting to see how they are growing. #1,2,3 look like a typical EEs #1 pullet, #2 roo, #3 can't really decide going with girl for now but rather stout in the legs. #4 looks like a Red something (RIR etc) X EE mix roo. #5 actually looks like a White Leghorn roo. #6 WL X EE mix roo.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

1. EE pullet
2. EE cockerel
3. EE pullet
4. sometime of s production red cross pullet ( i was going tosay Red sex link, but she doesnt appear to have a single comb)
5.White Leghorn cockerel
6. EE x white leghorn cockerel

 

[PaisyQ]

New pics, chicks are now 6 weeks old. They are getting very active, and I had a hard time getting these pictures, they just did not want to stay still.

Chick #1 - I think EE pullet


Chick #2 - EE roo?


Chick #3 - EE mix pullet, I hope


Chick #4 - Some Red mixed breed. I want it to be a pullet, but I'm thinking roo.


Chick #5- Everyone else says WL roo, so that is what I'm going with. At least for now.


Chick #6 - WL mix roo, as seems to be the popular opinion




So, if current guesses are correct, I've got 4 roos, and 2 pullets. I can only keep 1 roo, so will have to decide what to do with the extras. Really a bummer, I'm enjoying these chicks so much. But I knew that was a possibility when I decided to hatch out the eggs.

 

[donrae]

I agree with your assessments with all but 3. I'm not completely sure that's a pullet. I know there's not much comb or color yet, but it's early days still. I think I'm seeing rooster coloring on the wing, and those are some thick ol legs. I guess time will tell!

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

#1 and 3 are your only pullets