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Post by Jen on Apr 24, 2008 19:43:57 GMT 7
When we moved to the farm at Christmas the old chook pens were waist high in grass and snakes had been seen in there so I was worried about putting young chickens inthere and losing the lot. So my mother-in-law gave me three young roosters that were going to go in the pot as sacrificial chooks to see how bad the snakes were. The idea was that they would get the level of the grass down and if they got bitten by a snake well it was better than losing some good hens. Well four months down the track they have all survived and matured into pretty sexy looking roosters I don't even know what type they are as they came from a breeder as a mixed dozen of eggs that my in-laws incubated. Maybe someone could identify what they think they are. Also in the first picture is a hen that my Dad caught wandering wild around their house. She is my favourite hen and I think she is beautiful. She was great when I was raising the chicks that I incubated because when I moved them outside she "took them under her wing" so to speak and showed them the ropes I call this first rooster "Fabio" as he is blonde and thinks alot of himself This has a really small head and is not quite so handsome but I still like him This one has the best chest I think
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Post by Helen on Apr 24, 2008 21:49:51 GMT 7
Fabio is my favourite - he looks like an Isa Brown x Sussex but they are all pretty handsome.
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Post by Peter on Apr 25, 2008 14:53:19 GMT 7
LOL
Poor old roosters get it rough don't they
Fabio is almost deffinately isa brown cross. I'd say cross white leghorn
Really small head one I am unsure, but Ill bet matt will have a fair idea - The cone looks characteristic to a few breeds but I cant think of the names
the last looks like an old english game type
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Post by Jen on Apr 25, 2008 17:06:19 GMT 7
Thanks. What about the hen? Any ideas on her. Jen
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Post by Silvercloud on Apr 30, 2008 8:37:26 GMT 7
What handsome boys. Yeah id've said the same for the breeds, dunno about 'small head'. The hen looks like one we had which we were told was called a mainline grey I think but I can't find anything about them so not really sure. They're egg producers like isa browns except white.
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Post by megzly on Apr 30, 2008 18:24:00 GMT 7
the hen llooks almost like a pekin x
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Post by Silvercloud on May 1, 2008 8:32:32 GMT 7
That was my first thought Megan except that she looks so much like the one we used to have. Maybe she's a cross between the two lol.
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Post by Peter on May 1, 2008 11:19:07 GMT 7
the hen llooks almost like a pekin x I agree
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Post by Peter on May 1, 2008 11:21:17 GMT 7
Actually, How big is she? Is she similar sized to Fabio or smaller?
She does look fluffed in the photo, is she normally got a more slick/slender body?
If she is both these things I'd say some sort of comercial laying breed x
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Post by Jen on May 1, 2008 18:18:36 GMT 7
She is quite a plump little hen. Here is a photo of her un-fluffed! The strange thing is she was caught running around wild about 20km away from where we live and when we incubated 10 Araucana crosses (all from the same hen supposedly) we got 9 brown ones and one exactly the same as the stray from the clutch. The two white ones have pretty flecks of light brown on the ends of their feathers as you can see in this picture
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Post by Matt on May 1, 2008 19:04:14 GMT 7
My two bucks worth for what it counts!
Rooster one is definately from one of the laying lines, possibly hiline red or gold possibly an isa brown background!
Rooster two is almost guaranteed to have araucarna in him, probably half bred or maybe 1/4 bred. He has the typical body type and colouration as well as the size of his head and comb.
Rooster three is probably old english game or maybe leghorn cross? definately a bitzer thats for sure!
The hen appears to have an interesting background. Probably has some leghorn or commercial blood in there somewhere, I would even say there is possibly some Rhode Island or similar somewhere.
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Post by silkiechick on May 2, 2008 5:00:37 GMT 7
fabio is gorgeous! not the real one!
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Post by Jen on May 2, 2008 21:59:21 GMT 7
Thanks everyone for all your input. sounds like I have a real mixed bunch here. Thats ok with me. I love watching them especially when I first let them out and they fly and run across the yard like a squadron of fighter pilots for want of a better description. they are such happy chooks especially as Rob has recently rotary hoed the vege garden in preperation of planting the winter crops. The grey rooster and the black one have lived happily together for the last six months but have all of a sudden started fighting and I wonder if its because the hens are getting old enough to breed now. Fabio remains aloof and does not get involved and the older white hen seems to always be by his side and doesnt really associate with the younger chickens anymore. fabio doesnt get involved in any of the farmyard politics and I wonder if he is the dominent rooster and the other two are just trying to sort out their pecking order. They are much more vocal and when one crows it seems to really annoy the other one. I have never seen fabio crow at all and I have read that this is the sign of a dominent rooster that is confident in his own higher standing within the coop and feels no need to try and prove anything. I find it all absolutely fascinating. who would think that the humble chook house has such a complex social heirachy and politics are an everyday battle. it is far more interesting than watching the real politians fighting it out in canberra although I often see similaritys in their behaviour!
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Post by Silvercloud on May 5, 2008 6:54:33 GMT 7
LMAO love the chookhouse anology for politicians, soooooooo true.
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Post by Matt on May 5, 2008 9:04:16 GMT 7
LOL, Jen I think you have summed it up very well!
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