What breed is this chicken

Lexi7

In the Brooder
Sep 21, 2017
8
6
14
Uk
Hi just a quick question for now. Have acquired a chicken found at husbands works.Could have been dumped or escaped of lorry maybe.Dont know but there is no farms or houses near by.
Anyway I would like to know if she is of any breed as such. She is very very skinny extremely hungry etc. Feathers are not looking that great as you can see from the pictures.Apart from this she seems to be ok,very active and alert.Now I don't know much about chickens only had one before we rescued her she was very old we think,and we had her for 8 months before sadly she passed away. Now do chickens just have a natural instinct to climb a ladder? As Omlet we have named this one went up the ladder to coop with no problems at all,as if she had been doing this all the time.So I am thinking if she escaped of lorry surly she would not have come from anywhere where they would be using ladders? Or am I just being a bit stupid with this theory! Any ideas on breed and possibly how old she might be much appreciated.Thank you in advance.
Lexi.
 

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She is a red sex link.... could be an ISA Brown or any one of the other trade/brand names for them.
My first thought was that she was a commercial layer (barn or battery hen) at the end of her "tenure" and was perhaps being transported for slaughter when she escaped, but the feather loss looks more like rooster damage than moulting..... back of the head and back are the commonest areas that get damaged during mating and that would not happen if she came from a commercial egg factory farm, so more likely a backyard flock. I wonder if you are in an area that has been hit by the hurricanes and she has been caught up in that and got lost from home. It would explain why she was instantly familiar with using a ladder.
 
Thank you for your reply rebrascora. No I am not in area where the hurricanes are,I live in the uk.Yes I see what you mean about the feathers being damaged. As there are no farms or houses near by where she was I can only assume that maybe she was being picked on by the flock or they no longer had any use for her and someone just dumped her where she was found,instead of doing the right thing and trying to rehome her. Well she will be very spoilt with us. I don't suppose there is any way of knowing approximately how old she is? Thanks.
Lexi
 
Hi again Lexi and I should also have said "welcome" since I now notice you are new to BYC

Good to see another UK member. It helps if you include your location on your profile page so everyone can see at a glance where in the world you are each time you post. It has relevance to many issues so has a significant impact on the advice regarding pests, predators, diseases and products etc that are available in your locality.

Looking at the photos again, I would say that she is moulting although may also have mating damage, so she is at least 16-18 months old but you could add a year or two onto that and I'm not aware of any way you can tell beyond saying that she is not less than 16-18 months.

Chickens are flock creatures and she would benefit from a female friend or two if you can arrange it. Some places rehome ex commercial hens to save them from slaughter, so you should manage to find a couple of pals for her if you do a search. Rescue chickens are wonderful. I hope she rewards you with many eggs in the future although you may have to wait a while with her going into moult. Don't be too concerned if she starts to look a lot worse before she looks better. A hard adult moult can look pretty scary to the uninitiated. High protein treats like a little meat, fish and mealworms or even a bit of cat food will help her through it.

Best wishes

Barbara
 
Thank you very much for your reply. I will be getting two more friends for her and they will be rescued chickens. So I look forward to many eggs. Thanks again for the info much appreciated.
Kind regards
Lexi
 
And if she is isa brown, she's laying eggs. mine have not started laying eggs and their legs are orangish yellow. once they are laying they lose pigment in their legs, like yours. Other than that, hard to say age. she could be 8 month's, could be 2 years! you'll know better if she lays like a champ, or hardly lays...after 2 yrs production plummets with this hybrid.
 

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