I am a newbie, I have 5 hens, these 3 unknowns (that were given to me) and 2 I purchased (australorp and ameraucana). The three unknowns are smaller than the other two (they are 8 mo old). Any ideas on what breed these three are?
Those three hens look like game bird mixes. They may have an Oriental breed, like Aseel, Shamo, or Malay in them as well.
There are so many crosses in the game world that it may be impossible to know for sure what these elegant ladies are but in my experience Asil , even crosses , tend to be more muscular birds but that all depends on how watered down the Asil blood is. I would tend to lean toward Malay or even Cubalaya cross. Regardless, if they are Asian game crossed with American Game they are bound to be hardy birds in a warm to semi warm climate and fantastic mothers although the Asian game blood tends to detract from their laying ability. Growing up in the south , the game hen was my prefered all around hen because they are so very fantastic at making a living on little to nothing. When given grain they do even better. Regardless of the people who fight them for sport , Game breeds deserve some serious attention for those in warmer climes who want a sure enough guaranteed homestead , free-range chicken. In my opinion , if you have room for these girls to roam and your winters aren't too cold , you may be pleased with them in the long run.
