I think my hatchery SLW is actually a Hamburg!

[MGG]

So another inquiry - I will post pics later. Could my chicken that TSC said was a Jersey Giant actually be a black Australorp? I got two chicks out of the 'Jersey Giant' tub at TSC. One of them, a blue Jersey Giant, is def just that. But I have another bird, who is almost a dark blue laced black pullet who is not nearly as big as the Blue JG. I read that the JG feet should have yellow on the bottom, and Australorp's feet are whitish on the bottom. Anything else that I can look for that might help me determine which breed the darker bird might be?

Also - is it really common for TSC to give out the wrong breed? This would be 3/10 that were NOT the breed they advertised. Is it a TSC issue or the source hatchery? Thanks in advance for any feedback.....

Yeah, the foot color is the only indicator. My TSC BJG was smaller than my black australorp, but had yellow soles, so...
Yes, TSC is horrible with breeds. And the birds (at least at mine) are sourced from Hoovers', which has pretty poor quality birds anyway. That makes it even harder to tell. I've seen people buy turkey poults from TSC, because the workers had labeled them "Buff Orpington Pullets".

 

[NatJ]

Also - is it really common for TSC to give out the wrong breed?

Judging by the threads on this forum--yes, very common.

I think it's because chicks don't have barcodes on them, to let you check whether they are in the right bin

(Happens at other stores too, not just TSC.)

 

[dbtcowgirl]

I had almost the exact same experience at our local TSC. I got what was supposed to be a dozen Silver Laced Wyadotte Pullets. What I ended up with was 7 SLW pullets and 3 Silver Spangled Hamburg Pullets and 2 SSH Roo's. The gal at the store explained these mix-ups are fairly common. I will say I was a little miffed at first but I ended up rehoming one roos, one pullet sadly passed away, but the 3 SSH I have left are really different and fun birds. Good layers of smallish white eggs and great at getting along with a mixed flock. I like them so much I am considering getting a few more They are on the flighty side and like to roost high, not unfriendly but a little aloof. Pretty and entertaining though.

 

[2ndTink]

So another inquiry - I will post pics later. Could my chicken that TSC said was a Jersey Giant actually be a black Australorp? I got two chicks out of the 'Jersey Giant' tub at TSC. One of them, a blue Jersey Giant, is def just that. But I have another bird, who is almost a dark blue laced black pullet who is not nearly as big as the Blue JG. I read that the JG feet should have yellow on the bottom, and Australorp's feet are whitish on the bottom. Anything else that I can look for that might help me determine which breed the darker bird might be?

Also - is it really common for TSC to give out the wrong breed? This would be 3/10 that were NOT the breed they advertised. Is it a TSC issue or the source hatchery? Thanks in advance for any feedback.....

I didn't buy any from TSC, but the Coop I bought mine from didn't do so well. We ordered 3 Blue Plymoth Rocks and ended up with 2 Australorps and a JG, and 2 GLW pullets and both of those were roosters. So of those 5, none were correct.

 

[GemmaGA]

Thanks for the feedback all! I am not really looking to do any breeding/hatching at this point because technically I already have more birds than my local ordinance will allow (but we live in a very rural area and have a giant horse farm that has chickens at the end of our street so I think we might be ok) and I have grown attached to all the birds I have regardless of their breed, just crazy that we thought we knew what to expect in our mixed flock, and so far have had a few surprises! I guess maybe I will know more as they get a little older (will be 18 weeks old as of Monday) and I start getting the first eggs - if I can be slick enough to figure out who lays what!

Someday, when we get more land and can have a small hobby farm, I am definitely getting more chickens!

 

[Jenwisp]

The SLW I got at TSC ended up being a GLW. A nice surprise that kept us guessing.