Last May we bought 12 RIR sexed pullets from the local feed store. Like a true newbie, I asked the man for "a variety of colors" having no idea what RIR are even supposed to look like, thinking it would aide in telling them apart later. Some had darker wings was all. After a few weeks we noticed the lighter ones growing alot more white feathers, no combs or wattles to speak of, and fluffy cheek feathers (except one). As they have grown, their shape is longer and have a longer tail feather and more slender body. Later their feathers grew in with more black, kind of multi colored, and each one has its own color pattern so I can tell them apart allright! One has very little tail feathers.
I've never seen pictures of RIRs that look like these anywhere and wonder if there was a feed store or hatchery mix up. Any suggestions would be helpful. I need winter hardy large bodied birds here and am looking for eggs not meat.
Here they are in our brooder indoors. We have buff orpingtons that were a week old here in this photo and the "rhode island reds" were already showing two color patterns, some all red and some with alot of white feathers and kind of ugly. They were three weeks old in this picture and the next one also.
These ugly white feathered ones grew no combs or wattles at all and we thought they were the females and that explained the difference to us. Sorry I don't have better pictures of this stage but I did not realize I'd want photos for telling what breed they are.
Now at three months, we have never seen rhode island reds in any photos that resemble these light ones.
They are also much more skittish than the other two types, part of why we thought the dark ones were just roos.
Most of them have much fluffier neck feathers and cheek feathers jutting out the sides of their faces except for one, which has a head more resembling the rhode island red. One is more red, one more black, one more white, etc.
They still have not developed much comb or wattle at all.
We are thinking they are all pullets in these photos.
Any suggestions for me as to what in the heck to I have?
I've never seen pictures of RIRs that look like these anywhere and wonder if there was a feed store or hatchery mix up. Any suggestions would be helpful. I need winter hardy large bodied birds here and am looking for eggs not meat.
Here they are in our brooder indoors. We have buff orpingtons that were a week old here in this photo and the "rhode island reds" were already showing two color patterns, some all red and some with alot of white feathers and kind of ugly. They were three weeks old in this picture and the next one also.
These ugly white feathered ones grew no combs or wattles at all and we thought they were the females and that explained the difference to us. Sorry I don't have better pictures of this stage but I did not realize I'd want photos for telling what breed they are.
Now at three months, we have never seen rhode island reds in any photos that resemble these light ones.
They are also much more skittish than the other two types, part of why we thought the dark ones were just roos.
Most of them have much fluffier neck feathers and cheek feathers jutting out the sides of their faces except for one, which has a head more resembling the rhode island red. One is more red, one more black, one more white, etc.
They still have not developed much comb or wattle at all.
We are thinking they are all pullets in these photos.
Any suggestions for me as to what in the heck to I have?
