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Mystery chickens (or when eating eggs hatch!)

post #1 of 7
Thread Starter 

My daughter's kindergarten class hatched out some baby chicks.  They were only supposed to be hatching some Jersey Giant/Wyandotte crosses from the teacher's brother.  But...  a neighbor of one of the teachers left a carton of eggs (for her to eat) on the wrong teacher's car.  So, the "eating eggs" also ended up in the incubator before anyone realized the mix up.  To everyone's HUGE surprise, about 4 days after all the cute little black chicks hatched, 4 little red chicks hatched from the other eggs!!  ep.gifOnly 2 of the red guys survived, and since we already had chicks (yep, chicken math is out of control), we brought them home.  The only clues I can give re: breed is that they hatched out of light brown eggs and both have single combs.  One chick is redder than the other and had faint darker red chipmunk stripes on the back (but NOT chipmunk striped like my EE chicks).  The second chick was yellower.  I was wondering if they might be sex-link crosses, but they are feathering out with bars or partridge markings or something.  Likely they are just barnyard mutts, but I thought I'd see if anyone had any guesses.  They are about 10 days old in the pics. 

 

The first little one we named "Flipper" because s/he had really deformed feet that we had to keep taped for about a week.  Now, you can't tell anything was ever wrong!  Although I know it's too early to tell boy/girl, I'm hoping it's a girl.  We're pretty attached to this little one.  "She" is feathering out faster than her "sibling."

 

Flipper10dayA.jpg

Flipper10dayB.jpg

 

The second (yellower) chick we call "Fawn." 

 

Fawn10dayA.jpg

Fawn10dayB.jpg

 

 

Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

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Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

Reply
post #2 of 7

That is so cool when that happens :)  At least you know that they really were free-ranged!

 

Those are production reds, which are very common birds companies use to lay brown eggs for stores.  If you get females, they'll try their hardest to bury you in eggs :).

"It's easy. You draw a red line on the ground, right? Then you wait for a chicken to come along. When he arrives, he puts his beak right on the line and he's hypnotized!"
Joey Santiago
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"It's easy. You draw a red line on the ground, right? Then you wait for a chicken to come along. When he arrives, he puts his beak right on the line and he's hypnotized!"
Joey Santiago
Reply
post #3 of 7

1st pic is a production red 2nd pic is a new hampshire red 

                                                                                     Lot's 'A' Cluckin' Farms 

                                                           

                                                                             "Where The Orpingtons Run Free!"

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                                                                                     Lot's 'A' Cluckin' Farms 

                                                           

                                                                             "Where The Orpingtons Run Free!"

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post #4 of 7
Thread Starter 

Thank you both for your help!  I would be completely fine with being buried in brown eggs.  wink.png  Are there any tips for sexing these guys at a young age, or are these wait until you see the red of their combs kinda chickies?

Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

Reply

Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

Reply
post #5 of 7

Aren't Production Reds sex-linked? I thought pullets hatched out a different color than the roos...

post #6 of 7
Thread Starter 

I thought they were sex-links, too.  But I went searching on the web, and it seems like the "production reds" offered by the hatcheries (at least at Cackle) aren't sex-linked.  It's just their term for their RIR, NHR type crosses.  Am I right on this?

Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

Reply

Chicken math victim.   

Home to 1 BR, 3 EE, 1 bantam red cochin, 6 salmon faverolles, 2 production reds, 3 polish and 2 porcelain d'uccle chicks!

Reply
post #7 of 7
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caitenji View Post

I thought they were sex-links, too.  But I went searching on the web, and it seems like the "production reds" offered by the hatcheries (at least at Cackle) aren't sex-linked.  It's just their term for their RIR, NHR type crosses.  Am I right on this?



You are correct. A production red is kinda a generic red layer, not meeting the standard of rhode islands or new hampshires. A production red rooster could be used to create sex links, over silver based hens.

 

It's pretty early on gender, but that second chick has some pretty thick legs. You'll just have to keep an eye on them.

 

Rachel BB
 

Well, the kittens aren't so cute anymore and the easter egger cockerels are in the freezer. Plus, I think offering them as "prizes" scared folks off! So, I'm still posting quotes, if you know it let me know. I'm very enamored of this new one, it may hang around for a while!

 

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rachel BB
 

Well, the kittens aren't so cute anymore and the easter egger cockerels are in the freezer. Plus, I think offering them as "prizes" scared folks off! So, I'm still posting quotes, if you know it let me know. I'm very enamored of this new one, it may hang around for a while!

 

"If I'd known the world was ending I'd have brought better books"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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