help identify lost chic's

[fwschrom]

I got my chick order 4 weeks ago today. I ordered 47 and got 5 packing peanuts for a total of 52, and I have had no lost birds to date. I picked up 5 S/R "aracauna's" from the feed and farm they were black.
My problem is with my chick order I had 5 Australorp's, 5 black Jersey Giant pullets and 1 Roo. For sure I have no rumpless chics so my Aracaunas are at best black Ameracauna's or just plain EE's.
I can't tell them apart, the EE were about 5 days or a week older but size isn't helping spotting them. I think I have a couple of the Jersey's spotted by there all willow colored legs and feet and one seems to be a lot taller than the rest. There are several that have sort of white face masks but again when I counted out birds like that I didn't get a good count, if those are my Austrolorp pullets there should only be five.

Any suggestions how I sort out these three black breeds without waiting another 6-8 weeks? My black chics sort of all blended together.

I may need to separate all my black chics in a seperate pen and closely inspect their legs and the bottoms of there feet. just a guess.

Thanks.

 

[akcountrygrrl]

True black Ameraucanas should have a beard, muff, and pea comb with dark slate/black legs with bottoms of feet and toes white. If you have EEs, they will normally (but not always) have a pea comb, beard, and muff with willow legs (could be just about any color though). Australorps should have a single comb with black legs and pinkish-white feet bottoms and toes. Black Jersey Giants should have a single comb with black legs (hint of willow) and yellow feet bottoms.

 

[Matt A NC]

If your australorps and giants are to standard then you can sort by skin color. Australorps have white skin and Giant yellow.

Matt

 

[fwschrom]

thanks on the skin color tip, still leaves my mystery EE/canaus to sort out. only reason I bought them is they were cheap and I wanted to make sure my brood setup was right before I got my large chic order.

 

[jossanne]

The EE's should have poofs under their chins and little nearly-flat combs. Do you know what a pea comb looks like?

 

[fwschrom]

Pea comb should look like my Brahma's comb, which right now is just about nothing. I looked at combs this morning there isn't much to tell yet. I did notice that some have sort of a white death mask ( I think Australorp), and some have just a whiite spash at the throat ( which seems to be changing and getting smaller, it started as a mask ( Jersey Giants? )

I did look for beards or muffs this morning. Maybe I saw something, it might be a little early for that.

 

[Smoky73]

Quote:
your "Araucanas" you got from the feed store are hatchery birds and will not be rumpless. They will be EE's.

 

[fwschrom]

They will be EE's

I figured that from the get go, really I don't care if I have a couple of EE hens I am just looking to cull out the Roo's and sell them.​

 

[fwschrom]

Digging around the breed pictures and found this:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/images/ameraucana/ameraucana-2-116231.jpg

This looks like my birds. Its listed as a meat bird. It also says test and no write up. Does that meand no blue/green eggs?

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
Ameraucanas are not meat birds. I don't know why the chicken breed list says ameraucanas are meat birds. That is a mistake. They might be classed as a dual purpose, but I doubt many ameraucana breeders would eat unwanted cockerels. I'm pretty sure your chicks from the feed store are not ameraucanas. Feed stores carry Easter Eggers and call them araucana/ameraucana, but they're not. EE's are not meat birds either, and if they're females, you should get blue/green eggs, but they can possibly lay other colors as well. That's why they call them Easter Egg chickens.