When will I know what I have?

[Onebroodymomma]

I got a batch of 8 chicks from Meyer hatchery last Wednesday, but we were brave and did the "adoption" pack. So it is just 8 chickens and I have no clue at all what they could be.

How old do I need to let them get before I start making guesses on what kind of chickens they will be and if they are pullets or cockerels?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I got a batch of 8 chicks from Meyer hatchery last Wednesday, but we were brave and did the "adoption" pack. So it is just 8 chickens and I have no clue at all what they could be.

How old do I need to let them get before I start making guesses on what kind of chickens they will be and if they are pullets or cockerels?

You can post photos now and we may be able to tell on at least some of them as far as breed and possibly gender depending on the breed - worst case scenario we'll suggest reposting at 6 + weeks

 

[Ridgerunner]

Normally it takes five weeks for the differences in the sexes to start to show. I’ve had some chicks that I was pretty sure were male at hatch based on posture and general appearance but not the females. It also helps to know the parents. I’ve had some that I wasn’t really sure of until maybe 4 months. Some are just a lot harder than others. This has some clues you can start looking for.

How to sex chicks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48329

Breeds can be a lot harder. They might not even be a breed but instead some kind of cross. Meyer does not limit this in any way so it could be any chicks they hatch. And they hatch a lot of different chicks. You may be in for some fun guesses.

I don’t pay much attention to down color. I’ve seen too many reddish or yellowish chicks feather out mostly black to put much faith in that though if I were you I’d still already be looking and trying to narrow it down. Feathersite has some nice photos of chicks in down that you could look through but that would take a lot of looking.

Feathersite
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html#Chickens

Some clues are going to be leg color and comb type to help you get started. Some chicks have funny things on their heads. When the feathers come in, say 4 to 5 weeks, you can narrow it down further. Size differences and body conformation will also be decent clues. Some you may need to wait until they start to lay and you look at egg shell color. You’ll probably get some of them at a fairly young age but some may remain a mystery for quite a while.

Good luck with it. It’s a fun puzzle.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

It is a pretty fun mix! I don't have any pictures of them yet, other than the one in the box they came in.

We are not too rushed to figure it out, just want an idea of when we might start knowing. One is pretty distinct that I think we may have figured out. But time shall tell!

 

[Onebroodymomma]

Here are a few pics. The last is of the chicken we have so kindly named Afrodude. That one is smaller than the rest, and has a cute little yellow afro! My fav!
I know they are not the greatest pics, but they are the new babies! Love them.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Cute! And Afroman looks like a white crested blue Polish

 

[Onebroodymomma]

Cute! And Afroman looks like a white crested blue Polish

thank you! that is kind of what I was thinking he could be, after trolling around the hatchery site

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think that qualifies as a funny thing on the head.

 

[LanceTN]

In the first picture the bird furthest down is a black Astralorp. He looks exactly like mine from Meyer.

For him/her you can get a pretty good idea of it's sex at around three weeks or so. If the tail starts short it's a cockerel.

It may be hard to tell without other Astralorps there but the pullets grow their tail much earlier and faster.

 

[Onebroodymomma]

Thank you, LanceTN! Looking at pictures on the hatchery site, I may have two of the Black Australorps. One has a little black patch right over his eye that makes him look like a pirate arrgh! Or, as my 2 year old son would say, Yo ho ho!