INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Bsmac]

Hey y'all! So, has anyone had an experience with buying chicks at a Rural King, and finding out when they're grown that they're not what they're supposed to be?

Specifically, back in Feb/Mar I bought chicks at a Rural King that were supposed to be Blue Leghorns. Well, they're starting to lay, and some of the eggs are definitely blue.

I looked into it, and found the distinguishing characteristics, and Blue Leghorns are meant to have white ears and yellow legs. These hens do not. They have various colors and sizes of ears - two of them have some white, but not the big white spots I see in pictures online. And all of their legs are slate or green. Feather-wise, they have a pretty uniform appearance, mostly blue with some reddish around their necks. They're all single-comb, and some of the combs are pretty large and floppy, like a leghorn.

I'm good with blue eggs, and as long as they lay at a respectable rate, I don't really mind having unexpected chicken breeds in the coop. But I am very curious - is this more likely to be a mix-up at the Rural King, or something weird happening at the hatchery? (I think I read that my Rural King, on US36 in Avon, uses McMurray, but I couldn't swear to that.)

Thoughts?

We bought 6 chicks last March at the Rural King in Kendallville 2 Blue Jersey Giants, 2 Chocolate Orphingtons and 2 olive Eggers. All were what they were supposed to be! Lost one Olive Egger to pasty butt. She had it for too long, I should have looked closer as the associate was getting them out.

 

[Bsmac]

Yeah. Almost certainly a mix-up by Rural King. Either they were mis-marked in the bin or they had multiple breeds in a single bin and they gave you the wrong ones.

I always check on what chicks are supposed to look like for the breeds I'm interested in (often very different from the adults) before purchasing at Rural King or Tractor Supply.

Yes! It pays to know the breed that you want looks like! The RK in Kendallville had two breeds in the same brooder. Most associates likely do not have a clue.

 

[Faraday40]

I agree that your mystery hen was most likely due to employee error. "Chick days" are just that. A few days of the year when they farm stores sell chicks. Some employees may be knowledgeable about chickens; other not so much. Their goal is to keep chicks alive until sold. However in your case, I'm glad you got such a fun surprise.

A couple years ago I saw a funny- but also rather sad - chick bin.

I first laughed because of the mis-labled "Butt Op-ring-ton" and "Americano Eggers". They gave up on creativity when naming the unsold left-overs or "Big Chicks"

Then I noticed the open water drowning hazard with the chick poop. Why use a nice waterer if not to keep the water clean? The electrical cords were not just a fire hazard, but could also be used for escape. A few of the "big chicks" knew how to hop up there then jump over to freedom. They were still contained within the employee area but who knows if they knew how to return to the bin for food/water.

 

[Bsmac]

I agree that your mystery hen was most likely due to employee error. "Chick days" are just that. A few days of the year when they farm stores sell chicks. Some employees may be knowledgeable about chickens; other not so much. Their goal is to keep chicks alive until sold. However in your case, I'm glad you got such a fun surprise.

A couple years ago I saw a funny- but also rather sad - chick bin.

View attachment 4166612

I first laughed because of the mis-labled "Butt Op-ring-ton" and "Americano Eggers". They gave up on creativity when naming the unsold left-overs or "Big Chicks"

Then I noticed the open water drowning hazard with the chick poop. Why use a nice waterer if not to keep the water clean? The electrical cords were not just a fire hazard, but could also be used for escape. A few of the "big chicks" knew how to hop up there then jump over to freedom. They were still contained within the employee area but who knows if they knew how to return to the bin for food/water.

That`s kind of disturbing..... Poor things.....

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I haven't bought chicks from Rural King but I have had this issue with TSC. Last time I bought they had different breed of black chick straight run(I don't recall it was a while ago) in with the barred rock pullets. The poor associate could not tell the difference. After he grabbed two of the wrong breed which I kept pointing out because I did not want to end up with another rooster he finally let me into the cage to pick them out myself. Definitely not something they're supposed to do but he was frustrated and desperate

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hey y'all! So, has anyone had an experience with buying chicks at a Rural King, and finding out when they're grown that they're not what they're supposed to be?

Specifically, back in Feb/Mar I bought chicks at a Rural King that were supposed to be Blue Leghorns. Well, they're starting to lay, and some of the eggs are definitely blue.

I looked into it, and found the distinguishing characteristics, and Blue Leghorns are meant to have white ears and yellow legs. These hens do not. They have various colors and sizes of ears - two of them have some white, but not the big white spots I see in pictures online. And all of their legs are slate or green. Feather-wise, they have a pretty uniform appearance, mostly blue with some reddish around their necks. They're all single-comb, and some of the combs are pretty large and floppy, like a leghorn.

I'm good with blue eggs, and as long as they lay at a respectable rate, I don't really mind having unexpected chicken breeds in the coop. But I am very curious - is this more likely to be a mix-up at the Rural King, or something weird happening at the hatchery? (I think I read that my Rural King, on US36 in Avon, uses McMurray, but I couldn't swear to that.)

Thoughts?

I have 2 disparate thoughts on this.
Chicks and ducklings at feed stores in bins, if not closely monitored by employees can have chicks picked up by people and replaced into different bins. This frequently happens. Plus, when the shipment arrives, it requires the employees to have due diligence when they unpack and place them in the proper bin. That is if the hatchery labeled them properly. Then, feed store employees aren't poultry experts. They are just employees who may know nothing about products they handle.
My other thought is that all Leghorns, regardless of variety, lay white eggs. Unless a new variety came along since I raised several varieties of Leghorns. One of the defining characteristics of the breed is white shells and white lobes.
The variety of any breed, blue in this case, refers to feather color, not egg color.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I have 2 disparate thoughts on this.
Chicks and ducklings at feed stores in bins, if not closely monitored by employees can have chicks picked up by people and replaced into different bins. This frequently happens. Plus, when the shipment arrives, it requires the employees to have due diligence when they unpack and place them in the proper bin. That is if the hatchery labeled them properly. Then, feed store employees aren't poultry experts. They are just employees who may know nothing about products they handle.
My other thought is that all Leghorns, regardless of variety, lay white eggs. Unless a new variety came along since I raised several varieties of Leghorns. One of the defining characteristics of the breed is white shells and white lobes.
The variety of any breed, blue in this case, refers to feather color, not egg color.

TSC (at least mine does) puts it behind a chain link dog fence that's about 8 feet high and locked. I don't recall rural kings set up.

 

[Tynk]

Hey y'all! So, has anyone had an experience with buying chicks at a Rural King, and finding out when they're grown that they're not what they're supposed to be?

Specifically, back in Feb/Mar I bought chicks at a Rural King that were supposed to be Blue Leghorns. Well, they're starting to lay, and some of the eggs are definitely blue.

I looked into it, and found the distinguishing characteristics, and Blue Leghorns are meant to have white ears and yellow legs. These hens do not. They have various colors and sizes of ears - two of them have some white, but not the big white spots I see in pictures online. And all of their legs are slate or green. Feather-wise, they have a pretty uniform appearance, mostly blue with some reddish around their necks. They're all single-comb, and some of the combs are pretty large and floppy, like a leghorn.

I'm good with blue eggs, and as long as they lay at a respectable rate, I don't really mind having unexpected chicken breeds in the coop. But I am very curious - is this more likely to be a mix-up at the Rural King, or something weird happening at the hatchery? (I think I read that my Rural King, on US36 in Avon, uses McMurray, but I couldn't swear to that.)

Thoughts?

To tell you the truth My Rural King doesn't even usually have actual names on the birds. It's just sex link black and whatever's in there, old faithfuls which are multiple different types of birds. I ended up with one Plymouth Rock and five indistinguishable black birds and one that looks like it might possibly be a comet. I got better birds from a friend that just gave me eggs and I hatched them and I believe I will try and do that again. I don't know what those birds are except for one Sapphire gem. But they're excellent birds so that's the route I'm going to take.

 

[Sydney65]

Agreeing w/everyone else. I watched an employee toss a lavender keet in w/chicks. When I pointed out the error, I was told the keet was bullying the others & needed separated.
The keet must have been a leftover from a previous shipment, as it had grown a bit. The perceived "bullying" was just a guinea being a guinea, taking the shortest path from here to there regardless of who/what he had to step on to get there.
I took the "bully" home w/me, along w/a few others, & his name is Sweetpea. The brooders there are labeled, but