First hatch with 15 Mixed Chicks

[DavidReaves]

I'm just over two weeks after hatch with 15 chicks. They are barnyard mix, but believed to be Rhode Island Red, Cream Legbars, and the crosses of both. There are roosters and hens of both breeds.

There are three chicks that are pretty certainly pure
Cream Legbar, since they came from blue eggs, have the chipmunk pattern and eye stripes. This is a photo of them at 12 days old.

I have others that appear to be a cross between the Rhode Island Red and Cream Legbar. One is from a blue egg, the others are from brown eggs. I call these "partial" chipmunk patterns. The one with the darker strip on the head is from the blue egg.

The next group is what I'm assuming are pure Rhode Island Red. They were mostly solid, though some were darker than the others. This group is growing really quickly and feathering surprisingly fast. This is a picture of them, also at 12 days.

Finally, the last two were also from brown eggs, but must be from an oddball hen that is in the mix. They are lighter, one with sort of a reverse chipmunk pattern (a white stripe) and the other mostly light with some mixed "orange". I have no idea on either one of these.

 

[DavidReaves]

Took this photo today, at 15 days old. This appears to be my first identifiable cockerel. He definitely has a more pronounced comb developing already. He's from the group that appears to be pure Rhode Island Red.

 

[Iluveggers]

 

[DavidReaves]

No time for small group or individual photos today. I did get a group shot while I cleaned the brooder. My wife, who hasn't seen them for a couple of days, is surprised by the growth rate. I didn't think they'd grown that much since Saturday, though feathers continue to develop.

 

[DavidReaves]

This is a photo of "Fluffy Flufferton" who has a pronounced tail already. I've posted a new thread about tail or not and sex. Hopefully it is a she, so I can keep her for eggs. Otherwise, another chick will have to assume the identity that was given by my almost-4-year old granddaughter.

 

[Iluveggers]

No time for small group or individual photos today. I did get a group shot while I cleaned the brooder. My wife, who hasn't seen them for a couple of days, is surprised by the growth rate. I didn't think they'd grown that much since Saturday, though feathers continue to develop.

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There’s quite a variety of color and pattern with just the two breeds! Can you tell them all apart?

 

[DavidReaves]

I can tell selected ones but don't have ID on all 15... I'm a bad farmer. I don't want to get too attached to all of them, since I'm only keeping (at most) five. I think the one that I've already ID'd as a cockerel may go back to the farm where I got them. They said their RIR rooster is getting old. I do have a name for him-- for now, he's Big Red.

 

[Iluveggers]

I can tell selected ones but don't have ID on all 15... I'm a bad farmer. I don't want to get too attached to all of them, since I'm only keeping (at most) five. I think the one that I've already ID'd as a cockerel may go back to the farm where I got them. They said their RIR rooster is getting old. I do have a name for him-- for now, he's Big Red.

Not a bad farmer! We could tell all our chicks apart but when they got bigger they lost the distinctive beak markings…so now our two Australorp and two of our 3 barred rock are indistinguishable. The third barred rock has smaller waddles and is the friendliest so at least I know my favorite. Lol

 

[DavidReaves]

Photos today as I was cleaning the brooder. Individual shots of everyone at day 25 after hatching. There are a few that are obviously cockerels, since their comb is already developing. There are some others that seem to be less obvious, but it is early.

[when loading the pictures, it looks like I missed one... probably one of the ones I suspect of being pure Rhode Island Red.]

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[DavidReaves]

Based solely on the prominence of developing combs, I'd guess that I have at least 5 cockerels. The first five I've shown are my guess at cockerel. I know it's only three weeks, but does anyone have any guesses on sex? There are three Cream Legbar chicks that I'm pretty certain are pullets. They are #8, #9 and #13.