Are these all ISA browns?

Sandracula

In the Brooder
Apr 16, 2023
17
19
34
I just got my first set of 10 chicks after years of trying to convince my partner and I’m soooo excited. I ordered a mix from Hoover’s Hatchery that was supposed to be half ISA browns and half assorted colored egg layers. I have always wanted a variety of egg colors and that was my big priority when choosing the assortment I chose. I am so happy the chicks all arrived healthy and are doing well after 4 days, but I paid twice as much for an assortment and am not sure I got what I ordered. I know it’s hard to tell at this age but can anyone tell me if they see anything that could be a colored egg layer? I’m sorry I’m a terrible photographer. This is what the assortment said: “Breeds that may be included in this assortment are Americana, Cuckoo Marans, French Black Copper Marans, Midnight Majesty Marans, Prairie Bluebell Eggers, Olive Eggers, Sapphire Olive Eggers or Starlight Green Eggers.”
 

Attachments

  • DEC3F3BD-24E5-48A7-A303-A0F01A68F8E0.jpeg
    DEC3F3BD-24E5-48A7-A303-A0F01A68F8E0.jpeg
    370 KB · Views: 63
  • 2FFE52CD-9D8E-4237-9997-27C0BF1741A9.jpeg
    2FFE52CD-9D8E-4237-9997-27C0BF1741A9.jpeg
    561.5 KB · Views: 24
  • 06B0D97E-7EEC-4063-8209-4B31315B334B.jpeg
    06B0D97E-7EEC-4063-8209-4B31315B334B.jpeg
    407.5 KB · Views: 24
Those…all look pretty similar to me. Can immediately rule out all the marans. They would look like little penguins or black chicks. Americana (easter eggers) usually look like little chipmunks - fat cheeks, often have a dark stripe down their back and eyeliner stripes. Olive eggers and the others I think are more of a grab bag. But the likelihood they would send you 5 that HAPPEN to look like isa browns is extremely low.

I would call and get a refund on half the chicks. 😢
 
2x ... They all look similar, I'd call and question the shipment although doubt they'll do anything as the chicks are "young" and hard to tell at this age. You could to to their website to see the possibilities.

https://hoovershatchery.com/assortedcoloredegglayers.html
https://hoovershatchery.com/colored-eggs.html
https://hoovershatchery.com/brown-egg-layers.html

Do any have feathers on their legs/feet? Marans would except for the Cuckoo who are clean legged/feet.
AM/EE are usually Chimpmunk in color marking with the eyeliner, some having puffy checks ... Hoover has 2 varieties.
Prairie Bluebells can be yellow, black or brown, some with markings
Olive Eggers usually got the dark brown chipmunk stripe, over yellow
Sapphire Olive usually dark top over yellow
Starlite Green is possible
 
2x ... They all look similar, I'd call and question the shipment although doubt they'll do anything as the chicks are "young" and hard to tell at this age. You could to to their website to see the possibilities.

https://hoovershatchery.com/assortedcoloredegglayers.html
https://hoovershatchery.com/colored-eggs.html
https://hoovershatchery.com/brown-egg-layers.html

Do any have feathers on their legs/feet? Marans would except for the Cuckoo who are clean legged/feet.
AM/EE are usually Chimpmunk in color marking with the eyeliner, some having puffy checks ... Hoover has 2 varieties.
Prairie Bluebells can be yellow, black or brown, some with markings
Olive Eggers usually got the dark brown chipmunk stripe, over yellow
Sapphire Olive usually dark top over yellow
Starlite Green is possible
Nope no feathers on the feet. I didn’t call the hatchery yet because I agree that they will probably say they are too young to tell but it’s worth a shot. I will just need to chill out and see if they start looking any different as they grow. I was considering getting some Easter Eggers or similar and selling some of the ISA browns later on, but I know I’m getting ahead of myself as a first timer lol
 
x2 on the possibility of SGEs. Mine were hard to tell from my ISA Browns as chicks also. Even when they feathered out as adults, they were quite hard to tell apart until they started laying. I have two of the red-sex-link (looking) type of SGE, which is what you'd have if you have any, and they're very close looking to the ISA browns. One thing - the ISA Browns are heavier as adults by at least a pound or two than the SGEs, but it takes a while for them to mature to that point. Also the SGEs were flightier, and the ISA browns were nicer to people, but meaner to other chickens. The ISA browns are my chicken-to-chicken bullies, but man, it's hard to argue with one large to extra large dark brown egg a day.

Other than that, does anyone have a pea comb or blue/black/slate legs? If there are no pea combs, then you don't have any prairie bluebells (also the chick coloring is wrong for PBBs).
 
Nope no feathers on the feet. I didn’t call the hatchery yet because I agree that they will probably say they are too young to tell but it’s worth a shot. I will just need to chill out and see if they start looking any different as they grow. I was considering getting some Easter Eggers or similar and selling some of the ISA browns later on, but I know I’m getting ahead of myself as a first timer lol
I would go ahead and call or better email so that it’s “on the record” that you are 99% sure they made an error. They may have a deadline for any complaints
 
Once you start, raising chicks/chickens may become "addictive" then the scary part is "chicken math" :lau:thumbsup
Trust me I’m already like this in general. I just put our coop up this weekend and was already like well maybe I can expand it on one side for more chickens. They aren’t even a week old yet haha
 
x2 on the possibility of SGEs. Mine were hard to tell from my ISA Browns as chicks also. Even when they feathered out as adults, they were quite hard to tell apart until they started laying. I have two of the red-sex-link (looking) type of SGE, which is what you'd have if you have any, and they're very close looking to the ISA browns. One thing - the ISA Browns are heavier as adults by at least a pound or two than the SGEs, but it takes a while for them to mature to that point. Also the SGEs were flightier, and the ISA browns were nicer to people, but meaner to other chickens. The ISA browns are my chicken-to-chicken bullies, but man, it's hard to argue with one large to extra large dark brown egg a day.

Other than that, does anyone have a pea comb or blue/black/slate legs? If there are no pea combs, then you don't have any prairie bluebells (also the chick coloring is wrong for PBBs).
Thanks for sharing your experience. I really can’t tell about the pea combs but definitely no blue/black/slate legs. I did a lot of research before getting started but I still don’t understand how to identify some of the features at all. The “is this a hen or too” posts are completely baffling to me because I can’t tell AT ALL
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom