Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Button Moon on July 19, 2010, 22:50

Title: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: Button Moon on July 19, 2010, 22:50

We bought a bantam cockerel and hen last summer (around £8 each), but not sure what breed they are. The cockerel has feathered legs, the hen has a couple of feathers on her legs, and both chickens have back toes that point upwards rather than being horizontal (so they are not usually used for walking or for perching). The hen is white with black feathers on the tail and around the neck, and lays large eggs for her size! Photos attached.

Does anyone know what the breed is?

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: jhub on July 19, 2010, 23:39

not too sure but is the cock bird a dorking and the hen a light sussex?

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: Casey76 on July 20, 2010, 09:22

Sorry can't help you there but both are very pretty (sorry to the boy for calling him pretty!)

jhub, I dont' think the boy is a Dorking.  Dorkings have 5 toes, and the cock in the photo has 4 toes and a well developed spur :)

The hen could be a LS cross, but I don't think she is pure LS - the hackle feathers look to be more spangled than "laced", and LS don't have white ear lobes

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: Button Moon on July 20, 2010, 10:54

Thanks for the suggestions! I was wondering if they had some Dorking / Light Sussex in them. Was hoping they were a pure breed but I suspect they aren't. Speaking of toe number, yes both the bantams here have 4 toes, but we have bred the bantam cockerel with some of our hybrid hens (goldline, speckled star, black star and white star - which all have 4 toes) and the resulting chicks have ended up with 5 toes! Not sure if this is some sort of deformity because of the hybrid hens being very inbred, or because the cockerel carries genes for 5 toes (from having some Dorking in him?). Apart from this the chicks are normal!

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: jhub on July 20, 2010, 20:39

Quote from: Casey76 on July 20, 2010, 09:22

Sorry can't help you there but both are very pretty (sorry to the boy for calling him pretty!)

jhub, I dont' think the boy is a Dorking.  Dorkings have 5 toes, and the cock in the photo has 4 toes and a well developed spur :)

whoops- looked like 5 toes on left foot on first inspection....

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: Mulberry1990 on July 20, 2010, 20:45

Your white one looks identical to mine! She's apparently a mixture of white sussex and something else that I have completely forgotten the name of (so not very helpful sorry!)

Title: Re: Can anyone help - what breed are my bantam hen and cockerel? Photos attached
Post by: wildwitchy on July 20, 2010, 23:42

I'd say your cock bird is a old english bantam silver duckwing.

http://www.poultryhelp.com/sdoepics.html