Help identifying chicks

kprae

In the Brooder
6 Years
May 9, 2013
27
1
24
Hi, yesterday I received three boxes of chicks in the mail and I can't tell them apart. I have ordered before and never really had this problem, so any observations/comments/identifications are greatly appreciated.

Most are EEs, Blue Ameraucanas, etc., but there is also a Barred Rock, 1 Barnvelder, 1 Dark Cornish, 2 White Orpingtons, Cuckoo Marans and Black Star. And to add to the confusion the hatchery also threw in a couple extra chicks so they could be anything.

Chick 1 (in two photos) is yellow with black specks. Maybe a blue ameraucana that is splash?
Chick 2 (three photos) - is this an orpington? Would a White Orpington start out dark like this?
Chick 3 is also yellow, but no specks. EE/Ameraucana?

Chicks 4 through 9 all came in the same box (last photo)
I believe the three chicks that aren't labeled are the easter eggers (brown with stripes on backs). In this box there should have been the 3 EEs, two Lavender Orpingtons, two Blue Ameraucanas, and two Olive Eggers. I thought it would be easier to tell the Opringtons apart from the eggers/ameraucanas, but the little black and yellow chick (#9) and #6 threw me off. #5 and #8 look pretty similar. Are 6 and 7 the orpingtons because they have the dark spots on their heads? Who is #9? I'll try to get a better photo, but he has a yellow bottom and the rest is pretty black.

#11 was the only one that didn't make it. She was beautiful though -- yellow with a grey head and wings. Was she an EE or oprington?

Thank you!!

 
I think you are going to have to wait till they are a bit older to figure out the Splash Ameraucanas from the White Orpingtons. White Orpingtons are usually recessive white, and that means they can start out the same pale grey as Splash and Lavender chicks. Splash is always a possibility when ordering Blues. Black is also a possibility when ordering Blues, so that would make it harder to spot the black sexlink.
The Barred Rocks and the Cuckoo Marans are going to be hard to tell the difference between early on. As they get a bit older, the differences in the skin color should be more obvious.
The Barnevelder and the Dark Cornish are going to look very similar to the Easter Egger chicks. The Cornish has a pea comb, too, so you can't even go by that.
With your choice of colors/varieties, you are in a wait and see situation.
 
Whatever extra ones you received, I'm sure they're roosters - at hatcheries that's usually what they do is add some extra chicks in the boxes for warmth and they are usually roosters.
 
Lol! "Packing peanuts"!
1f602.png
 
Whatever extra ones you received, I'm sure they're roosters - at hatcheries that's usually what they do is add some extra chicks in the boxes for warmth and they are usually roosters.
Not always roosters, about 90% are. But a few friends of mine has gotten a packing peanut that had been hens.
 
Lol! "Packing peanuts"!
1f602.png

Yeah :p

Whatever extra ones you received, I'm sure they're roosters - at hatcheries that's usually what they do is add some extra chicks in the boxes for warmth and they are usually roosters.

Not always roosters, about 90% are. But a few friends of mine has gotten a packing peanut that had been hens.
awesome! If I get any peanuts in my shipment, I hope they are hens! If not, I'll keep em anyways.
 

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