Which chick is which breed?

[Becca77]

Howdy all, I just got my first ever box of peeps from my local Tractor Supply last week and so far they're doing great! The only question that has arisen is something of a who-is-who. I wanted a mixed flock of all girls, so when it came time to bring them home, I picked out 1 of each from the 4 bins labeled pullets, and took a chance on 1 straight run because they only had straight run barred rocks and I really wanted a barred rock. The other breeds (labeled pullets) were ISA Brown, Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red and Sex Link Black.

We're not 100% sure which of our 2 yellow babies is the ISA Brown and which is the Golden Comet, but since they're both (supposed to be) girls, it doesn't matter so much. What matters is which of our black peeps is the Sex Link and which is the Barred Rock. Here's some pics:

Above is Poppy, the chick I thought was the Barred Rock. She's the smallest, so I was hoping if she is the Barred Rock, that means pullet. She's got white under her throat and bum and a line of white on the underside of her wings. I know barred rocks aren't supposed to have so much white, but...well, see below.

And this is Marnie, who I thought must be the Black Sex Link. Except now she's getting bars on her wings as she feathers in. Do sex link get bars? I thought not, but then look at the rusty brown color markings around her eyes, doesn't that rule out barred rock? I'm so confused!

Here they are side by side, Poppy in the foreground looking at me and Marnie with her fancy new bar.

And here's a top view of all 5 babies! What do y'all think? Who is who?

 

[NatJ]

I just got my first ever box of peeps from my local Tractor Supply last week

Tractor Supply does not always have their chicks labeled correctly.
We see lots of posts on here about chicks that were labeled wrong.

...which of our black peeps is the Sex Link and which is the Barred Rock.

They each have a yellow spot on top of the head.
The yellow spot on top of the head usually means barring.
But Black Sexlink females should not have barring.

I do not think you have any female Black Sexlink.
Black Sexlink MALES get white barring (that's how they can be sexed by color), and of course Barred Rocks do too.

So I'm not exactly sure what you have, but I'm pretty sure no female Black Sexlink.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Neither is a Black Sexlink pullet. One may be a cockerel or another breed. The darker colored chick is a Barred Rock

 

[Becca77]

Neither is a Black Sexlink pullet. One may be a cockerel or another breed. The darker colored chick is a Barred Rock

Thanks for weighing in! It's been a few days since I posted this and already subtle hints of dark bars are beginning to show on Poppy. I'm so excited! I don't even care if she's a boy or girl anymore. If "she" turns out to be a "he," I'll just change the spelling to Papi!

 

[Becca77]

Tractor Supply does not always have their chicks labeled correctly.
We see lots of posts on here about chicks that were labeled wrong.



They each have a yellow spot on top of the head.
The yellow spot on top of the head usually means barring.
But Black Sexlink females should not have barring.

I do not think you have any female Black Sexlink.
Black Sexlink MALES get white barring (that's how they can be sexed by color), and of course Barred Rocks do too.

So I'm not exactly sure what you have, but I'm pretty sure no female Black Sexlink.

Thanks for your reply. I did know that Tractor Supply isn't super accurate with their labelling, but I thought they've been doing this long enough to at least get the breed right. I don't recall which other breed was in the brooder with the Black Sexlinks, but I'm fairly certain they could not be mistaken for each other. Then again, I do recall the young man who got the peeps for me and he seemed rather...unenthusiastic. Maybe I'm biased, but I don't see how being surrounded by a bunch of adorable fluff balls could get old!

I'm watching Marnie for new developments every day and will post updates and new pics as they happen.

 

[NatJ]

I did know that Tractor Supply isn't super accurate with their labelling, but I thought they've been doing this long enough to at least get the breed right.

Nope.
There are lots of threads here about mis-labeled chicks from TSC.

I don't recall which other breed was in the brooder with the Black Sexlinks, but I'm fairly certain they could not be mistaken for each other. Then again, I do recall the young man who got the peeps for me and he seemed rather...unenthusiastic. Maybe I'm biased, but I don't see how being surrounded by a bunch of adorable fluff balls could get old!

I think some of the employees are people who just needed a job, and are not personally interested in chickens. So they would not want to spend the time to learn about recognizing chick breeds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Nope.
There are lots of threads here about mis-labeled chicks from TSC.


I think some of the employees are people who just needed a job, and are not personally interested in chickens. So they would not want to spend the time to learn about recognizing chick breeds.

And, as I posted last year, it's not always the employees' fault.

I witnessed chicks mixing themselves at a local farm store by jumping up on the edge of their horse trough brooders then jumping down into the next bin.

 

[Becca77]

Update: Marnie's breed is still a mystery (Cuckoo Marans?), but there are other developments. She now appears to be the smallest (when just last week that was Poppy), and has an odd almost-bald spot on each wing. Is that normal for a chick getting her big-girl feathers? I've never seen blood or wounds or any indication of fowl play (ha ha).

I know they're still too young to tell, but any guesses at breed and sex for any of these floofs is much appreciated!

 

[3KillerBs]

Update: Marnie's breed is still a mystery (Cuckoo Marans?), but there are other developments. She now appears to be the smallest (when just last week that was Poppy), and has an odd almost-bald spot on each wing. Is that normal for a chick getting her big-girl feathers? I've never seen blood or wounds or any indication of fowl play (ha ha).

Chicks with the slow-feathering genes get like that -- outgrowing their down a little faster than their feathers come in.

It looks weird, but it's normal.

 

[Becca77]

4 Week Update: So even being a total chicken newb, I'm 99% sure that our chick formally known as Marnie is in fact a roo, which means his name should be Marlowe (according to my son, who named him). Photographic evidence is as follows:

Poppy has a definite black wash on her legs; I'm still hoping she's a pullet:

Marlowe was kind enough to pose for a close-up. The red on his comb seems like a dead giveaway:

So it looks like Marlowe's breed was correct (Black Sex Link), but not his sex. Which seems highly ironic.