What breed is she?

[Jrose]

I got some "battery hens" from the local factory in spring 2012. One of the girls is very pretty, and the closest breed I've found to her is the phoenix I think. Attached are some photos. Her beak had been clipped down heavily and grew back cockeyed, but she manages just fine. She's also blind in one eye. She rarely ever lays, but when she does they're small pure-white eggs. She's a cool hen! Any ideas on what she might be?

 

[BettyBlueSilkie]

must be a dorking (I know for sure)THE CUTEST CHICKEN EVER!!

 

[Jrose]

I thought dorkings were characterized by really short legs? Her legs seem very proportionate to me. I'm new to chickens so I could be totally wrong there. I can see some similarities comparing to photos on the web....

 

[Jrose]

Just did a little searching on breeds.

Dorking:
Size: Heavy (7-8 lbs)
Rarity: Rare
Purpose: Dual
Recognized Varieties: White (Rose Comb); Silver-Gray, Colored and Red (Single Comb)
Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: Cream or Tinted
Egg Size: Medium
Comb Type: Depends on Variety
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 5

Phoenix:
Size: Small (4-5 lbs)
Rarity: Common
Purpose: Ornamental
Recognized Varieties: Silver, Gold
Egg Laying: Poor (1/wk)
Egg Color: Cream or Tinted
Egg Size: Medium
Comb Type: Single Comb
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

She's no more than 3 or 4 lbs and she's not thin or underweight. She lays extremely infrequently. Usually I'll get one every day or two for a week then nothing for a month. Her eggs are small and pure white. She definitely only has 4 toes. I don't know what a "single comb" is...

 

[Jrose]

Gosh, now I found the "Light brown leghorn" which looks even more similar to her!

Size: Medium (6-7 lbs)
Rarity: Rare
Purpose: Egg-laying
Recognized Varieties: Dark Brown, Light Brown, White, Black, Buff, Silver, Black-Tailed Red, Columbian, Golden Duckwing
Egg Laying: Good (3/wk)
Egg Color: White
Egg Size: Large
Comb Type: Depends on Variety
Crested: No
Feathered Legs: No
Number of Toes: 4

Size is still off, production is off, although her eggs ARE white.

I'm seeing photos that look almost exactly the same of birds that are supposed to be completely different varieties! How do people do this?

 

[Cheyen]

She's most likely a leghorn or leghorn mix. How old is she? Her production may be an indication of old age. Also... I don't think factories would keep ornamental, poor-laying hens like a phoenix. Definitely not a dorking since she doesn't have five toes. Besides... I was under the impression that phoenix and dorkings were rare. Definitely not the kind of chicken to be in a factory setting.

 

[Jrose]

I have no idea how old she is. I got her with 8 other random breeds, and of the original amount I only have 2 left (split some with neighbors then someone's dog killed a few. Gr.) The other girl lays blue eggs and lays daily still.
Butch here, who we are talking about, used to lay maybe every other day...? After our first winter together she's mostly stopped laying. I don't notice anymore. She doesn't eat much and isn't a bother to keep around. Iv'e maybe gotten 10 eggs out of her this year? She hasn't changed visually at all. Her comb and waddles still look red and have a sheen.

 

[Cheyen]

Since she's a battery hen, she may be running low on eggs... These hens are usually kept in brightly lit environments their whole lives, in order to keep them laying 24/7. Hens are hatched with the amount of eggs they will produce in their lifetime already. Even if she is young, she may have used up a lot of her eggs by now.

 

[donrae]

That's a light brown leghorn hen.

 

[Jrose]

Good point on the battery hen observation, Cheyen. She's such a neat bird I'm just gonna keep her around one way or another.

And Donrae, I agree. Now that I've discovered this breed, I think so too!