[[[[.......can u tell if u have breeder quality or hatchery quality birds as chicks??......]]]]]
You hope that whoever sold the eggs to you was honest about their breeding stock. You certainly must ask about the parentage before you buy the eggs.
Probably you can't tell what the birds are at hatching time. A clutch from show parents isn't going to give you all top show birds. Only a small number of chicks hatched, even with the best parentage, are going to end up as top show birds.
It's often not possible to tell which bird is top quality until the adult plumage is in. It's really difficult to sort them out when they are day olds.
You might be able to sort out hatchery chicks by leg and comb color or markings. Maybe. Depending on the breed. My experience has been that the hatchery ducklings were high strung and my breeder ducklings from show lines have been fat and calm natured. But that might not be true of every breed from every source.
I could see an enormous difference between the hatchery ducklings and the show ducklings, but I had them side by side and close to the same age. That makes comparisons easier. And again, it is going to vary by source and breed.
You hope that whoever sold the eggs to you was honest about their breeding stock. You certainly must ask about the parentage before you buy the eggs.
Probably you can't tell what the birds are at hatching time. A clutch from show parents isn't going to give you all top show birds. Only a small number of chicks hatched, even with the best parentage, are going to end up as top show birds.
It's often not possible to tell which bird is top quality until the adult plumage is in. It's really difficult to sort them out when they are day olds.
You might be able to sort out hatchery chicks by leg and comb color or markings. Maybe. Depending on the breed. My experience has been that the hatchery ducklings were high strung and my breeder ducklings from show lines have been fat and calm natured. But that might not be true of every breed from every source.
I could see an enormous difference between the hatchery ducklings and the show ducklings, but I had them side by side and close to the same age. That makes comparisons easier. And again, it is going to vary by source and breed.