Silkie Crosses? Male or female?

[BrightFarms]

We recently brought home some rescue chickens (Original thread here, mostly I just needed some advice on missing feathers: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/855310/resuce-chickens#post_12836089 )

Now that everyone seems a bit more settled in, I'm wondering just what breed two of these birds are, and I figured I'd re-post the pictures here in hopes of getting some more help from the breed experts.

Here's the first:



After some research I think she (hopefully?) is some kind of Silkie cross, but I'm not sure. She only has 4 toes, and it seems like a lot of the Silkie crosses I've seen have 5 toes. However, her lack of comb and fluff on her feathers looks like a Silkie x Polish cross from other pictures I've seen on the forums. Any ideas? Also, is she a she? She's very flighty so I can't say I've checked for spurs but her neck seems pretty thick for a hen.

Here's the next one:



Sorry the picture isn't that great, she (again, hopefully?) makes a run for the cage door as soon as it opens. She's got a tuft of feathers on her head, but not nearly as much as the first one, and she has a bit of comb. She's also got 4 toes. If the picture is too bad I'll try to get a better picture tomorrow as I'll have my husband's help.

Thanks again! BYC has been so helpful and friendly and I'm glad I finally joined!

 

[donrae]

Does the black hen have feathered legs?

If silkie was in the ancestry somewhere, it's far enough they lost the feathered legs, which is a dominant trait.

 

[BrightFarms]

None of our mutt chickens have any feathering on their legs. So they're a Polish x ?. Any ideas what they could be crossed with if not a silkie?

Thanks again for all your help! They're my new favorites even if they're mutts.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

They look alot like Polish crosses I've seen, but some of my past Silkie mixes came without extra toes and feathered legs. It just depends on how the genetics line up.
Crevecoeurs and Houdans are also crested breeds, neither of them have feathered legs either. I think Houdans are supposed to have extra digits tho. Both breeds have V combs, which stay pretty small, even on the roos.

 

[gaigecampfield]

The black one i have one just like it and mines mixed with silkie and banie.