Accidental Chickens - Breeds??

[Jelibaen]

Okay so... I got eggs from my neighbour in February. They were supposed to be duck eggs.
They were not. They hatched a week early. They are chickens!

I now have 5 chicks. I've had chickens once before (also by accident) and I am learning as I go. They are wonderful chicks!! I love them so much. It is very difficult to get photos because they keep climbing on top of me all of the time. But I figured since they turned 6 weeks old today that I would post here and try to see what I have!
I was told the roo was an Orpington and the hens were Western Rustic, which... is odd, considering my chicks are all black and gray.

The first one to hatch was Fuzzyfoot. He is the only one with feathered legs and hatched from a brown speckled egg. He also started crowing this week!

The others dont have names yet, but all hatched from blue eggs. They havent started crowing or anything so time will tell on that.

Thank you!!! Here are my babies!!

 

[Winderdear]

What adorable chicks!

It’s possible that your neighbor meant Rustic Rambler instead of Western Rustic. A Rustic Rambler is another name for a Noir/Midnight Majesty/Mystic Marans, and is a cross between a Marans rooster and a Barred Rock hen. They are black with feathered feet.

If your neighbor’s rooster had blue genes, the babies would be blue or black like yours.

Also, that comb doesn’t look right for an Orpington/Rustic Rambler cross. I’m not great with combs, but it looks like maybe a rose comb on Fuzzyfoot, and with that mix it should be a single comb. It’s likely that one or both of the parents is a bit of a barnyard mix.

Fuzzyfoot looks like the only boy to me. Hope this is helpful

 

[JedJackson]

They are not buff Orpington/Western Rustic crosses. Neither of those breeds has a rose comb, and your boy definitely does, and it looks like the females might, too. Also, as you pointed out, the coloring of these younguns is all wrong for that cross.

I think Fluffy foot is your only male. He is maybe a Cochin cross, but it's unclear what breeds were crossed to make these chicks. It might be more obvious later on.

 

[Jelibaen]

Thank you both!!
I didnt know there were different kinds of combs until now. Thats super cool!! Hopefully with the rose comb it means I wont have as many issues with frostbite in our -40 winters.

I'm very excited to see these guys grow up!

 

[Jelibaen]

Bumping this up because chick 2 and 5 have now started to get a red spot but only at the very top of their combs. Their combs aren't getting any bigger and they still have little feathers growing on the comb itself. They are developing muffs around their ears though!
They will be 8 weeks on Saturday. I've been doing a bunch of research on different breeds and maybe they're an EE mix???
I've also seen a lot of discussion about pullet/cockerel specific coloring. Like how pullets will have clear patterns and cockerels will have muddy patterns or red patches. Chick 5 has some rusty feathers on their chest and back. Does that indicate they are likely a cockerel? They all seem to have matured quickly, because they're practically fully feathered at 6 weeks and I see a lot of photos of other chickens still half fluff. I know its difficult because I dont know any of the breeds.

Will update with more photos tonight! Thanks!!

 

[Jelibaen]

The more I look at those red shoulders the more convinced I am that I have more than one cockerel on my hands. But their combs are barely growing in at all.
Please ignore Fuzzyfoot trying to photobomb in the back. It was a race between taking photos and not letting him peck at my camera.

 

[Winderdear]

I’m still thinking they’re all pullets.

Color leakage happens in mixed breed birds sometimes, but I’m not an expert and don’t really know why this is. Both pullets and cockerels can show it though. Keep an eye on the shoulders, because boys usually develop quite large red patches there.

I would focus more on the combs for now, and if they get large and red then it’s more likely you have cockerels. Their hackle and saddle feathers should start coming in around 12-15 weeks, and that will make it quite obvious. I hope you’ll upload more photos as they grow up so we can see!

Also, I would have thought they had pea combs, but they look so smooth. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm what type of comb they have.

Their little muffs are very cute

 

[Jelibaen]

I’m still thinking they’re all pullets.

Color leakage happens in mixed breed birds sometimes, but I’m not an expert and don’t really know why this is. Both pullets and cockerels can show it though. Keep an eye on the shoulders, because boys usually develop quite large red patches there.

I would focus more on the combs for now, and if they get large and red then it’s more likely you have cockerels. Their hackle and saddle feathers should start coming in around 12-15 weeks, and that will make it quite obvious. I hope you’ll upload more photos as they grow up so we can see!

Also, I would have thought they had pea combs, but they look so smooth. Maybe someone more knowledgeable can confirm what type of comb they have.

Their little muffs are very cute

I will absolutely upload more photos! I'm so used to ducks that these guys are fascinating because they grow so differently. Their colors change constantly and its super cool.
Thank you for all of your help!

 

[Jelibaen]

9 week update!

Their combs haven't grown very much, still red but havent gotten any redder, but the red on the wings has definitely spread. Its mostly on the wing but also the chest and back. Still no crowing. Some fighting between them but everyone seems to be doing that.
Here are the other two pullets for comparison.

Still no firm idea on breed but definitely thinking some kind of EE mix! Aside from Fuzzyfoot.
It was very warm out today and they had some fun running around so everybody's a bit flushed. But still no comb growth and no other signs to point me in the right direction for breed. I dont even know what kind of comb they are supposed to be at this point!

 

[Winderdear]

I’m thinking those are walnut combs, like you’d find on a Silkie. Walnut would make sense genetically if it was an EE hen crossed with a rooster that had a rose comb, but I’m assuming that it was the same rooster who sired Fuzzyfoot. His mom was likely a Marans based on the brown speckled egg and the feathered legs, though she could also have been a mix herself.

If the EE mixes have walnut combs, I think males have a generally wider comb than the girls, and maybe slightly puffier. It’s not a comb type I have any experience with though, and I believe it can be difficult to judge one way or the other until the birds are older. So far I still think they’re pullets, but we’ll just have to wait and see!