So what breed are these????

[MaeM]

They were sold as Rhode Islands but now that they're adults I don't think they're Rhode Islands. They're so small I can lift them with one hand. When I told the vet their weight he asked if they were bantams, lol. They're between 1kg-1,5kg.

Size comparison with New Hampshire rooster:

 

[JedJackson]

They look like red sex links, but if they are really small maybe they're RSLs crossed with some type of bantam. Were they from a hatchery/farm store or from a backyard breeder?

 

[cavemanrich]

Hatchery grade RIR are often referred to as Production Reds. These may be mixed mutts that are just lovable. . Curious why they are on the small size spectrum

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[cherrynberry]

RSLs

Doubt they were crossed with bantams. Their weights are on the lighter end, but not unseen of in LF. My new chickens weigh 3.4 pounds, even though my original flock weigh in on a 5-6 pound average. 2.2 pounds is quite light though. Might have to do with their diet and condition.

 

[MaeM]

They were sold by a backyard breeder. He had all kinds of chickens in his backyard, some of them came from hatcheries. Maybe these are not directly crossed with bantams but who knows what they have in their family tree

So how true is it that purebreds tend to have more illnesses? Or that crossing them affects their "personalities"? These are the sweetest, cuddliest chickens ever. They're ideal pets + good layers.

 

[cavemanrich]

So how true is it that purebreds tend to have more illnesses?

This thinking may come from the process of breeding that may involve inbreeding to a certain point. The mutts are crosses between different breeds, so significant inbreeding minimized.

 

[NatJ]

Hatchery grade RIR are often referred to as Production Reds.

Regardless of whether they were called Rhode Island Reds or Production Reds, they would still have black tails. OP's chickens have white tails and white around the neck, so they must be something else.

These may be mixed mutts that are just lovable.

Based on the coloring, I would think these are Red Sexlinks (also called Golden Comets and ISA Browns and Red Stars and many other names.)

But given the small size, I agree they might be some kind of barnyard mix that just happened to get that combination of colors.

 

[Painted Calls]

RSLs