Need Help with 10 chickens and only 3 breeds.

En0ch

In the Brooder
Jun 19, 2021
4
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So I bought 10 chicks from a farmer in the community and got an assortment of Leghorn, ISA Brown, and Rhode Island Red. Now they are laying and for my records, I would really love to know the exact breed they all are. Some are easy, my two roosters for instance, but others are difficult. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Abby.jpg Bella.jpg Cleo.jpg Dove.jpg Faye.jpg Jerry.jpg Lenny.jpg Lola.jpg Macy.jpg Margot.jpg
1. Abby - Leghorn
2. Bella -
3. Cleo-
4. Dove -
5. Faye -
6. Jerry - ISA Brown
7. Lenny - Leghorn
8. Lola -
9. Macy -
10. Margot -
 
So I bought 10 chicks from a farmer in the community and got an assortment of Leghorn, ISA Brown, and Rhode Island Red. Now they are laying and for my records, I would really love to know the exact breed they all are. Some are easy, my two roosters for instance, but others are difficult. Any help would be greatly appreciated.View attachment 2726280View attachment 2726281View attachment 2726282View attachment 2726283View attachment 2726284View attachment 2726285View attachment 2726286View attachment 2726287View attachment 2726288View attachment 2726289
1. Abby - Leghorn
2. Bella -
3. Cleo-
4. Dove -
5. Faye -
6. Jerry - ISA Brown
7. Lenny - Leghorn
8. Lola -
9. Macy -
10. Margot -
Im not sure Abbys a leghorn looks like an amber star or a mixs.
 
What you say for the roosters matches what I would guess for them.

For the hens, if the farmer bought them as chicks from a store, I think they probably are:

1. Abby - maybe Leghorn, but Leghorns usually have larger combs than that, and a slightly different body shape. Could be an Amberlink or a White Rock, or maybe just a Leghorn that hasn't finished maturing yet (but Leghorns usually mature early, so not too likely.)

2. Bella - looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

3. Cleo- looks like a Rhode Island Red, or a New Hampshire, or a Production Red (they all lookt pretty similar, and are all good layers of brown eggs.)

4. Dove - looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

5. Faye -looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

8. Lola - could be a Black Sexlink, although they usually have a bit more black and less red.

9. Macy - ISA Brown or similar kind of Red Sexlink

10. Margot - New Hampshire or Production Red (probably not Rhode Island red, because of the shade of red, and not having a black tail.)

But the farmer might have started with the breeds he told you, then hatched eggs that are crosses of those breeds, in which case these would all be Barnyard Mixes.

(Although to be technically correct, all Sexlinks are mixes anyway, but they are a kind of mix that is carefully planned to have specific qualities.)
 
What you say for the roosters matches what I would guess for them.

For the hens, if the farmer bought them as chicks from a store, I think they probably are:

1. Abby - maybe Leghorn, but Leghorns usually have larger combs than that, and a slightly different body shape. Could be an Amberlink or a White Rock, or maybe just a Leghorn that hasn't finished maturing yet (but Leghorns usually mature early, so not too likely.)

2. Bella - looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

3. Cleo- looks like a Rhode Island Red, or a New Hampshire, or a Production Red (they all lookt pretty similar, and are all good layers of brown eggs.)

4. Dove - looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

5. Faye -looks like a Blue Sexlink (like a Black Sexlink but blue).

8. Lola - could be a Black Sexlink, although they usually have a bit more black and less red.

9. Macy - ISA Brown or similar kind of Red Sexlink

10. Margot - New Hampshire or Production Red (probably not Rhode Island red, because of the shade of red, and not having a black tail.)

But the farmer might have started with the breeds he told you, then hatched eggs that are crosses of those breeds, in which case these would all be Barnyard Mixes.

(Although to be technically correct, all Sexlinks are mixes anyway, but they are a kind of mix that is carefully planned to have specific qualities.)
Thank you for your assessment. I have a lot to learn. These were ones the farmer hatchd on her farm and never purchased. From what I gather I now believe these are all Barnyard Mixes. Maybe all original were just those three breeds, but the lines have been mixed.
 
Oops, you're right.

That would also mean the rooster Lenny cannot be a Leghorn, because he also has red earlobes.
So Lenny isnt a leghorn. Well I guess I will have to be content with them as they are. Any guess for what Lenny could be? In googling around, I am confident Jerry is definitely "mostly" ISA. But now doubting that too.
 
These were ones the farmer hatchd on her farm and never purchased. From what I gather I now believe these are all Barnyard Mixes. Maybe all original were just those three breeds, but the lines have been mixed.

Yes, in that case they would be Barnyard Mixes.
Given what breeds the farmer started with, they are probably all good layers, so a nice flock to start with!

So Lenny isnt a leghorn. Well I guess I will have to be content with them as they are. Any guess for what Lenny could be? In googling around, I am confident Jerry is definitely "mostly" ISA. But now doubting that too.

The original three breeds were White Leghorn, ISA Brown, and Rhode Island Red.
ISA Brown is actually a hybrid, with a Rhode Island Red father and a Rhode Island White mother, so it can pass on any of the genes from either of those breeds.

The white ones (Lenny & Abby) most likely have some Leghorn but some of the other kinds too.

Jerry could have two ISA Brown parents, or one ISA Brown and one Rhode Island Red parent. I'm guessing he does not have Leghorn, but I cannot be positive.

Macy has some ISA Brown in her (white markings). She may have Rhode Island Red as well, but any Leghorn would be a few generations back.

Cleo and Margot most likely have Rhode Island Red, with perhaps some ISA Brown as well. Any Leghorn is a few generations ago for these two.

I think the other hens, Bella, Dove, Faye, and Lola, have some Leghorn in them, but it's a grandparent or further back, not a parent. The black and the blue probably come from Leghorns, but it takes at least two generations to start seeing those colors, because of how the white genetics work in this case.
 

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