Some kind of rocks?

[speckledhen]

Genetic testing, please! LOL. Hard to know unless you can ask whoever you got them from. If you've ever seen pictures of my Ivy, who is from Ideal, she has places that there is only the barest hint of barring.

 

[smarsh]

the mix looks very much like my little hen which is half brown leghorn and half white wyandotte. yours shows a little more barring and has the same bleachout breast. This would come from the silver gene in the barred rock. I would guess with confidence that it is a barred rock/brown leghorn mix.

 

[Minniechickmama]

If they came from the same place, perhaps the chances of them both being mix is higher. That being said, we all know the one girl is a mix, right? No argument there> Can we all just

 

[jnine]

I'll take more photo's as they grow. One thing I know for sure - is they are very good flyers!!

 

[speckledhen]

The great chicken mix guessing game! Really, no way to be sure. The one thing that would make me think even the pure-looking BR was a mix is that they did both come from the same place, but anything is possible. There are so many poor quality BRs that look like crosses, but are not.

 

[Chris09]

If you got them from the same place.
I would be willing to bet that there siblings or at least had the same father. If so I would say the father was barred rock do to both chicks showing the barring gene in them.

Chris

 

[jnine]

Here are some updated photo's. The black is the most beautiful natured chook, which is good as she is definately the biggest. The brown one is a little skittish and does not seem to be developing as fast. Neither have started laying yet, and by the looks of it the smaller brown one may be some ways away. It's also coming into winter here so I wonder if they will wait until spring....

 

[speckledhen]

They are crosses of a barred breed, most likely Rocks since they have yellow legs. The last one has a rose comb, so perhaps a Rock/Wyandotte cross.

 

[jnine]

Thanks again

Judging from the other birds where we got them from they are probably crosses, which is fine as we got them as layers/garden fertiliser makers and wanted something different than the normal Isabrowns or battery hens. They are beautiful girls, not aggressive in any way and have wonderful soft feathers (the black has greenish tinges in the sunlight). They are also very smart - alot smarter than the other two hens we have!

 

[speckledhen]

They are very pretty birds, yes! I have some barred crosses of my BR roo over Ameraucana hens. Love them!