What breed/ gender are my mystery chicks?

barefootbabies

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jun 29, 2013
15
0
22
I have come to the conclusion I am completely clueless... We originally got 6 chicks from the farmers market, 5 RIR chicks and one Buff Orp. Out of the 5 RIR three are FOR SURE cockerels....They have had red combs from like 5 weeks on and these combs are now as big as my laying red stars at 11 weeks. ..

Since we got these guys we also took in 3 more completely mystery birds from a backyard flock gone crazy... The woman had over 100 birds in a small lot to the point they were running out in the road.... Thankfully they have seemed to be relatively healthy (little whites legs look rough in this pic, but they aren't scaley, he just REALLY likes to walk through mud and dog poo) and are now safely cooped with the others where they stay separate but for the most part get along fine. I know in the original flock she said she at one point had RIRs, Buff Orphington, Speckled Sussex, Leghorns, australorps, easter eggers, and who knows what else. I think I saw some gold laced birds as well. They were all allowed to run willy nilly so these babies could be ANYTHING!





This is Big white on the left and Little Red. I don't know how old they are, but they are somewhere between my 11 week olds and my just now laying 20 odd weekers.

Big white I think is leghorn of some sort, but not being familiar with them I don't know if the iridescent yellowy pearly creamy color on her feathers is normal or came from being with something else. I think She is a pullet, but I am not certain.

Little red looks very much like my golden comets, but with white legs... She/He has very red comb and wattles, but her face looks more feminine than my confirmed roo RIRs. I am about to try to rehome some roos because I can't eat the ones I've had from babies and if she/he is a roo I want to go ahead and let him go too.




Little white is about in the lower middle of my original 6 in size, so I imagine it is around 11 weeks or so too. I am leaning towards pullet but really have no clue and am completely blank on breed (prolly like 4th generation mutt).






This is Pat our 11 week gender ambiguous buff orp from the original 6. When it was tiny I was CONVINCED it was a roo, but as it grew up its comb stayed small like our almost positive girl RIR. It It one of the first to puff up and run at other birds, but also lets chicken little sleep under its wing... I think it may just be confused.



This is Chicken Little, He/She is less than half the size of the other 4 original RIRs at 11 weeks... He is also REALLY behind on feathering and the ones he does have are really weird and like stringy. He has a whole 3 tail feathers, but they are crescent shaped. I couldn't get any pictures where its tail showed. It is very hard to get a picture of him/her because it zips around pretty quickly and is definitely alert and active so I have no clue how to explain the size/ feathering difference.
 
First picture- Amber sex link and Isa brown or maybe a red sex link( looks like a rooster because of the thick legs and big red comb though if she was a rooster she would probably have more white).
Third pic- Buff orpington pullet
Second pic- looks like some kind of Easter Egger mix
 
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First picture- Amber sex link and Isa brown or maybe a red sex link( looks like a rooster because of the thick legs and big red comb).

Question about the possible red sex link or isa brown... I don't understand how it could be a red sex link AND a rooster.... if it was a red sex link rooster wouldn't it have a lighter coloration or is that just in the ones like golden commets.

And would the amber link be a cockerel or a pullet? I cant seem to find much on the differences between them

Third pic- Buff orpington pullet
Oh golly I hope so! I am so tired of roos!

Second pic- looks like some kind of Easter Egger mix

Any guess on gender?
Anyone else care to take a guess?
 
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With those white legs wonder if these are orpington x sex link mixes. Can't see saddle feathers or tails in the picture, and with the age range possibility you could have either pullets getting ready to lay if 18 weeks, or young roos at 12, to me those first two look on the older side. But Big White looks girlish to me and Little Red looks more like a roo, even though it is the general color of a red sex link hen, don't like those dark patches on the shoulders.
Little White looks younger and looks like a roo.
Pat looks like a girl.
No idea on Chicken Little, if it was a roo you'd think there would be more comb by now, but if it is developing differently because it has something wrong with it, who knows.
 
I cannot get little red to pose without his/her butt behind another bird, but I got a clearer shot of big whites rear end... And little red giving me the stink eye... The newbies arent getting real names till I know they are staying! I already am having the hardest time thinking of "processing" my extra roos I have raised, even though I have no problem doing other peoples roosters....




And just for giggles, here's my favorite little chicken checking out the coop... I'm pretty sure this ones a cockerel, but I think I'll keep it anyway! Although this picture is one soccer season haircut out dated & this chickie is now a crested breed :)


 
Okay...here our my guesses and reasons from your first set of photos...

Big White and Little White are crosses from likely a White Leghorn roo over a gold based hen such as a RIR, NH, etc. I believe they are pullets.

Little Red looks like a typical Red Star pullet.

I got some eggs from a friend and hatched them under a broody. My friend had a White Leghorn roo. She also had a yard full of layer breeds...RIR, NH, Gold Stars/Red Stars/etc., Austrolopes, and some White and Brown Leghorns.

Your birds Big White and Little White look identical to my crosses of that type, and probably about 14 to 16 weeks. One of my mixes grew really fast maturing and laying by 13 weeks! The other 2 grew more normally but looked mature pretty early on.

I think your Buff Orp is a pullet, especially with only that comb at her age. Buff Orp hen's can get some spiky neck feathers that make you wonder, but they are hens.

Your last one might be a RIR bantam...guessing pullet there as well.

Lady of McCamley
 
Got what I thought was an Orpington pullet, but I think she may be something else. My other Orpington baby has yellow wings and this one has pure white feathers coming in.
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what do you think she could be? She came in a fellow BYC'ers backyard special and I put her under my broody momma. I love that she's different. She's the one in back with white wing feathers. She is two weeks one day old.
 
just an update, Little Red began taking care of his manly duties this week... His whole way of walking and everything changed... he is obviously a roo :)
 

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