Help indentify

[LDarnell]

Hey all! I am new here. We recently acquired some chicks they are about 4 weeks old now. Can I have any help identifying the white one?

 

[NatJ]

Hey all! I am new here. We recently acquired some chicks they are about 4 weeks old now. Can I have any help identifying the white one?

Where did you get the chicks? That sometimes helps with figuring out what kind they are.

That white one is a bit puzzling. It appears to have a crest on the head, and the feet are a dark color (not yellow or white), and it has a single comb. With that set of traits, it could be a mix (maybe from someone's backyard flock), or it could be an Easter Egger (also a mix, but specifically one that is meant to lay blue or green eggs: they are commonly available from hatcheries.)

It also has a large comb for its age, which could mean it's a male, or it could mean it is a female that will grow up to have a large comb (like the large combs of White Leghorn hens.) It is not actually a White Leghorn, because of the crest on the head and the color of the feet, but it might have some traits in common with Leghorns.

 

[LDarnell]

Tractor supply and they did not write it correctly on the box so I have been puzzled. I was told they were all females but I had doubts. It’s very sweet and is the same age as the others but the wings are much longer.

 

[NatJ]

Tractor supply and they did not write it correctly on the box so I have been puzzled.

If it came from Tractor Supply, I think it is probably an Easter Egger. That is the most common kind of chick that would have those traits, among the ones they sell.

I was told they were all females but I had doubts. It’s very sweet and is the same age as the others but the wings are much longer.

Oh dear. I think you have at least one male in that group, and possibly more.

In the middle photo, the chick furthest from the camera has a rose comb, and that comb is red enough I'm pretty sure the chick is male. (Third photo, farthest right, looks like the same chick: red rose comb.)

Again in the middle photo, the chick on the left, halfway between front and back, has a comb that is somewhat big and a bit bright in color (although not as red as the other one.) I suspect this chick may be male, but I can't be sure at this age. If it is male, that will probably become very obvious in the next few weeks.

And I already mentioned being doubtful about the white one.

I don't have any specific thoughts about the brown one.

By the time they are about 6 weeks old, the males vs. females will probably be pretty obvious, and possibly earlier than that (different chicks develop at different rates.)

 

[LDarnell]

If it came from Tractor Supply, I think it is probably an Easter Egger. That is the most common kind of chick that would have those traits, among the ones they sell.


Oh dear. I think you have at least one male in that group, and possibly more.

In the middle photo, the chick furthest from the camera has a rose comb, and that comb is red enough I'm pretty sure the chick is male. (Third photo, farthest right, looks like the same chick: red rose comb.)

Again in the middle photo, the chick on the left, halfway between front and back, has a comb that is somewhat big and a bit bright in color (although not as red as the other one.) I suspect this chick may be male, but I can't be sure at this age. If it is male, that will probably become very obvious in the next few weeks.

And I already mentioned being doubtful about the white one.

I don't have any specific thoughts about the brown one.

By the time they are about 6 weeks old, the males vs. females will probably be pretty obvious, and possibly earlier than that (different chicks develop at different rates.)

Thanks so much for all your help! They said the white one was not an Easter Egger I had wanted some but they said they are out. But, deep down I think they were pretty lax and mixed up the signs on a bunch lol. I’ll post more development pics next week and maybe you can tell me what you think? They are sweet little things. More like pets. Except the two black ones are little turds and are bitey already.

 

[NatJ]

Thanks so much for all your help! They said the white one was not an Easter Egger I had wanted some but they said they are out. But, deep down I think they were pretty lax and mixed up the signs on a bunch lol. I’ll post more development pics next week and maybe you can tell me what you think? They are sweet little things. More like pets. Except the two black ones are little turds and are bitey already.

I can certainly give another opinion when it grows some more, and other people may also chime in with opinions.

The real proof of whether it is an Easter Egger is whether it lays blue or green eggs (or has the correct genes for that, if it is a male.) Unfortunately that means waiting until it is fully grown and lays eggs (if female), or genetic testing (works on males or females), or test mating (if it's a male, breed to hens that lay white or brown eggs, raise daughters and see if they lay blue or green eggs.)

 

[rural mouse]

Just FYI, rose combs tend to pink early. On them, watch for comb and wattles growth. Just turning pink....meh. could go either way.

The chipmunk striped brown one: eye liner curve can help eliminate options (not 100% fool proof). Speckled sussex tend to have the downward curve. Some of the others have the cuve sweep upward.