What breed is this?

[mrjoltcola]

I edited this post and added the 2nd bird, which has barring. The one in first pic and on right in second pic has an extra toe like a silkie, and both have Walnut combs. Kev pointed out that these are Walnut combs, I ignortantly thought it was rose comb. Read on for rest of thread...

 

[Kev]

Interesting bird! HIs comb is a walnut- genetically both rose and pea comb genes in the same bird.

He looks nothing like a leghorn- the body type is way off, the color is only superficial.

I wonder if he might be Oriental game mix- that goes with how his tail looks and the rather upright stance.. maybe with american game- very common mix by the way but that would not explain presence of rose comb as I can;t think of any american game with rose comb. Maybe oriental game mixed with a barnyard breed...

the other possibility is a walnut comb game mix. like malay, a very few not very well known oriental breeds... they are pretty uncommon though..

 

[mrjoltcola]

I agree with you, he is interesting. And its why I haven't gotten rid of him until now. I normally don't keep mixed breeds, but he is a pretty bird and has a good temperament, so I let him range around the property.

Speaking of his upright appearance, in that pic, he is about to crow, so he appears more upright than he actually is. I wish I had more background info on him. I inherited him from a friend after he fell into a coma and I'm not sure I'll ever know the history of his birds.

I'd like to try crossing him over a few hens just for a fun experiment. What breed hen would you recommend? I've got a dozen varieties.

 

[Kev]

Ah thanks for explaing his stance. His tail is unique though. It's more common in oriental breeds and not that common in non orientals..

wait a minute.. does he have extra toes? if he does, probably silkie in the mix. They have rose, sometimes a true genetic walnut- those would work great as a contributor to his comb type and the extra toes. Silkie-game mix? contrary to common belief, the black skin is easily lost in 2nd generation onwards so his normal skin does not rule silkie out.

what to breed him with depends on what you like.

p.s. to clarify, the standard calls for walnut combs in silkies but a high percentage of them are actually modified rose combs. They look walnut but not genetically so(pea+rose).

 

[mrjoltcola]

wait a minute.. does he have extra toes? if he does, probably silkie in the mix.

Now that you mention, yes he does have an extra toe! I recall my daughter pointed it out but I forgot about it until now.

what to breed him with depends on what you like.

I like him as-is, what could I use to try to create a stable line from him? Whatever I used, I assume I would want to start by taking his pullet offspring and breed them back with him?

 

[Kev]

If you like his coloring and tail, maybe red junglefowl? The real red junglefowl have a tail sort of like that so this cross should more or less maintain that look. A lot of junglefowl sold are actually mutts selected to have the rough look of a junglefowl. If those work for you, then great, but try to avoid the one with squirrel tails- tail very upright- 90% angle or even leaning towards the back of head. This tail set looks horrible with your rooster;s kind of tail.

Look into smaller Oriental types if you like the tail and would like more upright stance. Asil, smaller shamo. Try to find a black breast red/red duckwing to stay close to his color but wheaten will work as the rooster color is very close however the hens will be more tan/slight brown with black tails. Most orientals have pea comb, which will maintain his head appearence but you will need to be careful to keep rose comb present if you like that walnut comb.

American game- very easy to get red duckwing color pattern, am not sure if you want to deal with the potential aggressiveness/difficulty in handling- roosters will want to fight each other, higher possibility of attacking people, mother hens can be extremely aggressive and hard to handle. Even the little chicks do battles with each other... Not every one can handle that.

other possiblities... d'anvers... they have muff/beard and tail set is rather high but seems the type is pretty close to your bird.

Brown leghorn can work but they can be extremely flighty- this will pass on to the offspring, definitely will throw white earlobes and watch the tail set...

red duckwing modern game bantam can work- they are pretty mellow birds, very small though. they definitely will maintain the general type however they will bring in longer legs and tighter feathers.

 

[mrjoltcola]

Thanks for all the good ideas.

 

[Ajayk]

Can anyone tell me what breed this rooster is?

 

[mrjoltcola]

Turns out he has offspring or a sibling. There is another cockerel that has walnut comb, is barred over the same base color, and has yellow legs and no extra toes but otherwise has similar head and same long pretty tail, just a smidge taller.

I'm planning to cross both of these with a few hens to see what I get. The tail and combs are so attractive to me, I'd like to see what comes of a second generation.

 

[Kev]

Awesome, he is beautiful and good luck with the project.