Chick identification

[jacobbosse1995]

Hi all,

We just bought four 2(ish) week old chickens from a local feed store. They told us they didn’t know the breeds, but they didn’t have any RIRs.

After much research, I think I’ve identified one as a white leghorn. However I am struggling to identify the trio. My best guess is a Sussex.

Any insights?

TIA

---

 

[nuthatched]

Too many breeds look like that as chicks to say for certain

 

[jacobbosse1995]

Too many breeds look like that as chicks to say for certain

lol. That was what I was afraid the answer would be… thanks!

 

[NatJ]

After much research, I think I’ve identified one as a white leghorn.

I can't tell much about the white chick at this angle, except that it is white, and has a single comb. That is right for White Leghorn (slender and lays white eggs), and White Rock (chunkier than a Leghorn and lays brown eggs), and Cornish Cross (much chunkier than either of the others, and usually does not live long enough to lay eggs at all: often butchered around age 8 weeks, and often has health issues if kept longer than that. Probably has the genes to lay brown eggs.)

So you might be right that it's a Leghorn, but I can't confirm or deny that at present.

I am struggling to identify the trio. My best guess is a Sussex.

For the brown/striped chicks, I think I see a single comb on at least one of them.

Possible breeds include:
Speckled Sussex (white feet)
Brown Leghorn (yellow feet)
Welsummer (yellow feet)
Cream Legbar (yellow feet)
Several versions of Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers (various foot colors, some have single combs and others have pea combs)

And I'm pretty sure I've forgotten several other common breeds that can have stripes like that when they are young.

Just to make it more confusing, they might not all be the same kind. You might have two or three different breeds among those three chicks.

Most chicks become a bit more obvious as they grow their feathers, and later as they get their adult body shape and earlobe color, and when females finally lay eggs that provides another clue (if there was still any doubt.)

 

[jacobbosse1995]

I can't tell much about the white chick at this angle, except that it is white, and has a single comb. That is right for White Leghorn (slender and lays white eggs), and White Rock (chunkier than a Leghorn and lays brown eggs), and Cornish Cross (much chunkier than either of the others, and usually does not live long enough to lay eggs at all: often butchered around age 8 weeks, and often has health issues if kept longer than that. Probably has the genes to lay brown eggs.)

So you might be right that it's a Leghorn, but I can't confirm or deny that at present.


For the brown/striped chicks, I think I see a single comb on at least one of them.

Possible breeds include:
Speckled Sussex (white feet)
Brown Leghorn (yellow feet)
Welsummer (yellow feet)
Cream Legbar (yellow feet)
Several versions of Easter Eggers and Olive Eggers (various foot colors, some have single combs and others have pea combs)

And I'm pretty sure I've forgotten several other common breeds that can have stripes like that when they are young.

Just to make it more confusing, they might not all be the same kind. You might have two or three different breeds among those three chicks.

Most chicks become a bit more obvious as they grow their feathers, and later as they get their adult body shape and earlobe color, and when females finally lay eggs that provides another clue (if there was still any doubt.)

Thanks so much! Definitely a lot of options. I’ll keep an eye on them as the mature a bit.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

They probably got them from a large Hatchery. So ask them what Hatchery they use and then look on that website for chick identification. Example is that TSC uses Hoovers so you can alway look at Hoovers website to slueth. My local feed store uses Privett, etc. etc. Good luck!

 

[NatJ]

They probably got them from a large Hatchery. So ask them what Hatchery they use and then look on that website for chick identification. Example is that TSC uses Hoovers so you can alway look at Hoovers website to slueth. My local feed store uses Privett, etc. etc. Good luck!

Good point, except that not all TSC stores use Hoovers. I've seen people report their TSC stores using various different hatcheries (maybe based on which one is closest? I haven't paid enough attention to figure out what kind of pattern there is or isn't.)

So "ask which hatchery" applies to TSC as well as other stores.