"Wild" Chicken #1

[Wolfshadess]

Two people on another thread said that they looked like Black and Copper Marans. Based on the pictures I looked at, that looks like a pretty good guess to me! This is one of the pics I found:

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

They are much too spindly and small, not the right shape to be Marans. I agree with the other posters here that they're some sort of game mix and definitely girls.

 

[Kev]

making the mistake of a color= a breed is very very common. your birds are nowhere near a marans.

the bottom line is you said they were living wild. if they have been living wild for decades then they are simply feral chickens. useless to try guessing specific breeds because if you get several pure breds and let them live and breed in feral conditions, they will ALL eventually come to a similar look- not so big(about large bantam or light standard breed size), have longish bodies with medium-ish to long-ish tails. Like your birds.

The only reasonable general guess as to part of feral make up are game chickens. It's because they still have lots of the wild ancestor instincts to be wary and are still agile enough to be able to avoid some predators. But even a feral flock based mainly games will more or less 'feralize' down to a 'generic feral chicken' type. also unfortunately sometimes games are dumped(games are one of the most common 'breeds' found in animal shelters) or maybe escaped or moved to the area from someone's backyard.

Color is a matter of what was present in the founding stock and possibly later additions. Brown and darkish ones usually survive better especially as chicks due to lower visiblity to predators- crows and the like. So, a lot of feral chicks end up hatching with chimpunk striped down or darkish down.

All the color of your birds indicate is that black or black/brown chickens were part of the founding stock, nothing more.

 

[Wolfshadess]

Well, that takes the fun out of guessing. Being that they were at a racetrack on Long Island, I would more assume the barn chicken population got a bit out of control as opposed to truly feral or from feral stock. Hence, why I said "wild" in quotes. But, I'll leave it at that. In the long run, I'll never know. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Chickenfan4life]

While I have no idea what breed they are, I would like to warn you of something. If they were feral/wild, you should check them for parasites such as lice or mites. Lice, if you do not know, look like small, sesame seed shaped bugs that are generally the color of straw. Mites look like itty-bitty little ticks or spiders and the most common ones are red mites, named for their bright red color. Good luck with your new biddies!

P.S, they look like pullets to me.

 

[Wolfshadess]

While I have no idea what breed they are, I would like to warn you of something. If they were feral/wild, you should check them for parasites such as lice or mites. Lice, if you do not know, look like small, sesame seed shaped bugs that are generally the color of straw. Mites look like itty-bitty little ticks or spiders and the most common ones are red mites, named for their bright red color. Good luck with your new biddies!

P.S, they look like pullets to me.

Yes, thank you! Someone else warned me of that too! I've only been able to handle the one chick I have so far (3-4 weeks old) and haven't noticed any on her. I'm still trying to get these girls comfortable around me, so I can't get too close to them to check just yet. Also, while I haven't noticed any worms in the stool as of yet, I was looking through the threads researching the deworming medicines too.
I've got lots of learning to do.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Yes, thank you! Someone else warned me of that too! I've only been able to handle the one chick I have so far (3-4 weeks old) and haven't noticed any on her. I'm still trying to get these girls comfortable around me, so I can't get too close to them to check just yet. Also, while I haven't noticed any worms in the stool as of yet, I was looking through the threads researching the deworming medicines too.
I've got lots of learning to do.

At ruaral king they have a deworming med called Wazine. But you shouldnt worm them unless they have worms.

 

[Wolfshadess]

At ruaral king they have a deworming med called Wazine. But you shouldnt worm them unless they have worms.

Honestly, I'm confused about that because I was looking through the threads and kept reading mixed opinions on deworming. Some people said that and others said that they do it routinely twice a year. Now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Either way, I wouldn't want to do anything until they're used to me anyway. I don't think grabbing them and making them takes meds would earn me any points when I'm still trying to get them to trust me.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Honestly, I'm confused about that because I was looking through the threads and kept reading mixed opinions on deworming. Some people said that and others said that they do it routinely twice a year. Now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. Either way, I wouldn't want to do anything until they're used to me anyway. I don't think grabbing them and making them takes meds would earn me any points when I'm still trying to get them to trust me.

I have multiple experts tell me never to worm them unless i see worms in their stool, because it is actually a poison.I have seen mixed opinions too a lot of people argue about like it is a big deal in the end they are still your chickens and you can medicate them the way you see fit.The experts on here that i know and trust I usually listen too because they are very experienced my chickens have never had worms so they have never been wormed. I would look at it this way-Why treat something that isn't there yet. It is your choice which way you go. And ya I don't think giving them meds is going to earn you any brownie points lol.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

O and I have never fuher researched if it really is like a poison, I just took their word for it.