RIR hen or Auracana Roo?

[Tiegrsi]

A friend of mine is having me bird sit her 4 chickens which she thought were 2 barred rock hen, 1 RIR hen and 1 RIR roo. They are young, just a couple months and haven't started laying yet. Right away I knew something was up because the RIR "hen" was crowing. I haven't seen much of this other in than in hens lacking a roo, which we definitely have. "She" has a pea comb, no spurs, and no definable roo tail, but this morning I watched her do the chicken mating dance and mount one of the barred rocks....so I'm thinking Auracana mix? Are there any other breeds that can look like a RIR but lack a tail?

 

[Goldenelk lover]

Could you post a pic of him/her?then maybe we could tell.

 

[Tiegrsi]

not the best pic, sorry. I will try to upload a better one on my lunch break.

 

[Tiegrsi]

Maybe that's better. The first one is the roo and the second is the hen that supposedly came from the same hatch.
I'm guessing because the roo does have a tail that they are mixed...or that the person that sold them to my friend had multiple breeds of birds and one (the "hen") was mixed and the roo is an RIR?

 

[junebuggena]

Two Easter Egger cockerels.

 

[Tiegrsi]

Are Easter eggers just a cross breed? Or is there a specific trait/s that make them EEs?

 

[junebuggena]

The pea combs and fluffy cheeks indicate Easter Egger.
Most hatchery sourced Easter Eggers are not 'mixed' breeds, they just haven't been bred to meet any sort of consistent breed standard.
Those two are likely Easter Egger/Barred Rock mixes.

 

[Tiegrsi]

She got them from "some guy's garage" is what she told me. All well...if I hatched out eggs from the barred rock hens they've been harassing (once they start laying), would the chicks be more likely to be barred and lay EEs? I'm not sure yet if she wants to keep them or cull them since they aren't the RIR hens she wanted. She did tell me I could keep the eggs once they start laying and do as I please with them. I wouldn't mind having a couple of EE hens for myself after she collects her birds. I'm planning to try to find a few more hens to put in with them for now so the roos don't beat up the two ladies too badly. I know 2-2 is not ideal.

 

[junebuggena]

It's a 50/50 shot that the chicks inheriting the gene for colored eggs. And they would most likely be barred. Any chicks that don't develop barring are pullets for certain.

 

[drumstick diva]

good to know