Leghorn chicks - Is this normal?

[Celtic Chick]

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The reddish one in the front of this pic looks like my production reds did when they were chicks.
The 2 in your second pic look too white. Maybe Tetra Tints? Where did you get them?

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

I got 2 leghorn pullets from TSC last year. They did go through a growth spurt early on and I was thinking the same thing that they were cornish x. But the growth slowed down and with in a few wks they were the same size as the 2 black stars, the EE and the welsummer who eventually got alot bigger than them and remained scrawny in comparison.

 

[SouthernLady]

The chicks came from TSC. Hubby said 3 were supposed to be Leghorn Pullets. The other three.........he couldn't remember what they were. When I went to TSC last week to look for supplies, the only chicks they had were labeled "assorted"

 

[schellie69]

The smaller ones are sex linked pullets of some kinds the white ones are meat birds. I would find someone who can trade you for a few layers. Those meat birds will not live long. The are designed to be butchered at 10-14 weeks. Good luck.

 

[SouthernLady]

Thanks everyone for all the information. I really appreciate it.

 

[Minniechickmama]

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Actually it is 6-8 weeks, and they can dress out at 6+ pounds already by then.

SouthernLady-trust us, you really don't want to keep those CRXs around. They are pigs, they eat everything in sight that looks like their food, yet do not act like chickens. They stink to high heavens and are so much messier than the purebreds. They are like meat machines that the strains of these birds have been developed over the last 60-70 years so they pack on the size rapidly just for the purpose of going on someone's dinner plate.

Maybe if your daughter got to go and pick out some colored breed chicks somewhere, like a Cochin with feathers on its feet, she would ease into letting these ones go. Sometimes eating the food you raise (animals included) just takes some getting used to. They are quite good for a nice family meal, especially if you brine them in salt and herbs for about 36-hours. Knowing exactly where you food comes from actually can make it taste so much better.

Oh, and Buff colored chicks can sometimes have a darker color come in when they get their 'starter' feathers, they will grow out Buff after that. However, I think whoever said Red Sex Links was right. They will lay a nice brown egg.

 

[Anianna]

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TSC is notorious for mislabeling their chicks. They are not a responsible chick dealer. I'm sorry you ended up with the meaties when you wanted pets, but it is true that they are not likely to have a good quality of life beyond their intended lifespan.

 

[Mamma_Duck04]

Your smaller, darker kids look like all 6 of ours. We were told at the feed store (Southern States) they were chicks of Rhode Island Red females crossed to White Leghorn males. Supposedly should mature earlier and lay nice, large brown eggs. *shrugs* They seem quite friendly (except The Boss- she's quite the attitude case) & I'm finding already at 2wks, they're dang good scratchers & foragers when they have their evening play-time in the yard.

To your meat birds, I know the initial thought can be nearly repulsive, but if you all eat meat, maybe this could be a good experiment for your kids about raising your own food, husbandry skills, etc. You don't have to kill them in front of your kids & you don't even have to kill them yourself. I've found (of mine & many of my friends) the kids are very practical and seem to have a more cut-and-dry look at things. Especially if they're informed early that "this is what these chickens are for". They tend to take cues from the parents toward things like this.

 

[Minniechickmama]

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X2
Very well put Mamma Duck

 

[Anianna]

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I second this. I have four kids and we ended up eating one of our named rabbits when we discovered he would not mature sexually. We told them in matter-of-fact terms what the issue was and they were fine with it. They even helped dress the rabbit. Our kids did know right from the start that we got the rabbits for meat, though we never intended to eat the named breeding stock. If you get upset, they are more likely to get upset, but I find that kids aren't traumatized at all by the facts of life when viewed from a matter-of-fact perspective. Everybody was a little saddened to see Buck Rogers go, and that's natural, but nobody was overly upset by it. It's just a part of life for farm and pseudo farm kids. Heck, you might be surprised how interested kids are in what most of us adults would consider a grisly process.