What is this breed? 2 1/2 year old hen, supposedly a Black Australorp

[WldPoppy]

Hey, everyone - I picked up two 2.5 year old hens about 9 days ago and the woman I got them from (who had to move and get rid of most of her flock) said they were black Australorps. My plan was to take just her 2 blue Australorps, but the one black hen was quite strikingly beautiful with her glossy black iridescent feathers and since she needed homes for several of her birds, I ended up taking all four Australorps. I'm loving them (well, her, really - the other black one is in a full-on, ugly molt - and is not laying, of course); however, I'm puzzled about a few things on these Australorp hens:

1) feathered legs: I have read that black Australorps do NOT have feathers on their legs; these girls both do - not a LOT of feathers, but they are there down the sides of their legs like a black stripe. Note: the blue Australorps (who are about a year younger) have no feathers on their legs.

2) VERY large, dark, dark brown eggs: I've read the black Austra's tend to lay light brown eggs, and these are Maran-colored eggs (see pic). Not to mention the egg size is huge; normal size of egg is around 2.275. I've gotten 6 eggs since I picked her up about 9 days ago, and yesterday's egg was 3.5 ounces!! (Clearly, a double yolker at least). She is the only one laying out of the four hen-pack I got.

Anyway, I suspect that if these ARE Australorps, they may be crossed with Marans. Like other Australorps, they are very large bodied (they are easily the largest birds in the flock), and they have very large eyes as well. Perhaps they were sold to her as straight black Australorps, but the feathered legs and egg color are puzzling me and make me think they are crossed with something else. No complaints here, just genuinely curious what others thoughts are. What do we think?

 

[SunriseChickers]

That looks a lot like a "Mystic Marans" that I used to have. A cross between a Copper Marans and Barred Rock.
She was black with those iridescent feathers, a perky tail like yours, and had the same black legs with shank feathering. Eggs looked pretty much exactly like yours. Big, dark, and almost spotted looking.

 

[WldPoppy]

That looks a lot like a "Mystic Marans" that I used to have. A cross between a Copper Marans and Barred Rock.
She was black with those iridescent feathers, a perky tail like yours, and had the same black legs with shank feathering. Eggs looked pretty much exactly like yours. Big, dark, and almost spotted looking.

Cool! Was yours as big as she is? They are both HEFTY girls, and this particular miss is definitely shopping in the plus-sized department! My Cinnamon Queen (formerly the flock's biggest hen) looks like a bantam next to her!

 

[SunriseChickers]

Cool! Was yours as big as she is? They are both HEFTY girls, and this particular miss is definitely shopping in the plus-sized department! My Cinnamon Queen (formerly the flock's biggest hen) looks like a bantam next to her!

I'm not sure I can really tell exactly how big your pretty girl is. Mine rivaled the chunkier Buff Orps we had, she certainly wasn't small! Not enormous, though.

 

[Candiru09]

Cool! Was yours as big as she is? They are both HEFTY girls, and this particular miss is definitely shopping in the plus-sized department! My Cinnamon Queen (formerly the flock's biggest hen) looks like a bantam next to her!

I own a young "mystic" Maran. She's still small and hasn't reached full size yet. She also hasn't started laying yet.

 

[WldPoppy]

I own a young "mystic" Maran. She's still small and hasn't reached full size yet. She also hasn't started laying yet.
View attachment 4244913

Here is another of my hens that looks an awful lot like yours, is also still small (she's the smallest in my flock) and hasn't laid an egg yet, was sold to me as an "Olive Egger" and whose daddy was a Copper Maran (as told to me by the breeder, and looks like a full-blooded Maran to me).

 

[Candiru09]

Here is another of my hens that looks an awful lot like yours, is also still small (she's the smallest in my flock) and hasn't laid an egg yet, was sold to me as an "Olive Egger" and whose daddy was a Copper Maran (as told to me by the breeder, and looks like a full-blooded Maran to me). View attachment 4244947View attachment 4244948

Besides the brown on the neck of yours, it does resemble mine.
I love the iridescent colors marans have.

 

[SunriseChickers]

Here is another of my hens that looks an awful lot like yours, is also still small (she's the smallest in my flock) and hasn't laid an egg yet, was sold to me as an "Olive Egger" and whose daddy was a Copper Maran (as told to me by the breeder, and looks like a full-blooded Maran to me). View attachment 4244947View attachment 4244948

Agreed, she does look just like a Copper Maran!

 

[redinator]

Hey, everyone - I picked up two 2.5 year old hens about 9 days ago and the woman I got them from (who had to move and get rid of most of her flock) said they were black Australorps. My plan was to take just her 2 blue Australorps, but the one black hen was quite strikingly beautiful with her glossy black iridescent feathers and since she needed homes for several of her birds, I ended up taking all four Australorps. I'm loving them (well, her, really - the other black one is in a full-on, ugly molt - and is not laying, of course); however, I'm puzzled about a few things on these Australorp hens:

1) feathered legs: I have read that black Australorps do NOT have feathers on their legs; these girls both do - not a LOT of feathers, but they are there down the sides of their legs like a black stripe. Note: the blue Australorps (who are about a year younger) have no feathers on their legs.

2) VERY large, dark, dark brown eggs: I've read the black Austra's tend to lay light brown eggs, and these are Maran-colored eggs (see pic). Not to mention the egg size is huge; normal size of egg is around 2.275. I've gotten 6 eggs since I picked her up about 9 days ago, and yesterday's egg was 3.5 ounces!! (Clearly, a double yolker at least). She is the only one laying out of the four hen-pack I got.

Anyway, I suspect that if these ARE Australorps, they may be crossed with Marans. Like other Australorps, they are very large bodied (they are easily the largest birds in the flock), and they have very large eyes as well. Perhaps they were sold to her as straight black Australorps, but the feathered legs and egg color are puzzling me and make me think they are crossed with something else. No complaints here, just genuinely curious what others thoughts are. What do we think?View attachment 4244899View attachment 4244900View attachment 4244901

The size of her, and that egg, make think she might be a Black Jersey Giant w Marans.

I only say that because my Black Jersey Giant pullets easily outsize my Buff Orpingtons. My Buff Orpington is 7 months and the Black Jersey Giants are a week shy of 5 months old. The Black Jersey Giants haven't laid an egg yet though.

 

[WldPoppy]

The size of her, and that egg, make think she might be a Black Jersey Giant w Marans.

I only say that because my Black Jersey Giant pullets easily outsize my Buff Orpingtons. My Buff Orpington is 7 months and the Black Jersey Giants are a week shy of 5 months old. The Black Jersey Giants haven't laid an egg yet though.

She's bigger than my Buff Orpington (who is only almost 5 1/2 months old). Here is a pic of my Buff next to my Barred Rock, who is the same exact age as my Buff. I would say my Buff is about 3/4 of the size of the black hen in question. Black hen in question has reached her full size as she is 2 1/2 years old. And she's heavy. I would put around 6 to 7 lbs, but I haven't weighed her.