Mixed breeds

[mdshec]

I have a question about some chicks I bought last week on a spur of the moment. The feed store had accidentily mixed Barred Rock chicks with Black Copper Marans chicks. All photos of day old chicks I have seen of the two breeds they look very similar. But with some searching on the internet while at the store myslelf and the chicken keeper at the feed store determined that the BCM's would have white toes and the Barred rocks would have more yellowish toes. I did have a a Barred Rock chick already at home and compared the the toes. They did look different. Any assistance in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

But I bought 4 of them hoping for a 50% chance to have a BCM out of them.

One other question, I have a Silver Wyandotte that is now 2 weeks old, but is still the size of a 3 day old chick. She seems healthy, active and alert, seems to be eating and drinking but just ain't growing. Been doing some reading on the internet. Seems this is a fairly common thing. How long should I give the little girl before I remove her from the rest of the chicks.

 

[dunnmom]

If I recall, my SLWs did not grow quite as fast as my BOs comparatively. My BRs are growing even more slowly. Maybe you should go ahead and separate her, put her on a special diet and love on her alot. I think that's what my mom might do, and she's not new to chickens like me. One of my 8 week BRs is a runt. She doesn't get picked on that I can tell, so I just left her with the rest hoping she'd catch up. Is your runty chick getting any feathers at all? Have you been checking it's crop and vent and all that?

 

[mdshec]

The Silver Wyandotte was bought at the same time as these.


This is the Silver Wyandotte. I have had her for 2 weeks. The one next to her I have had for 1 week.



My Buff Leghorn is either very brave or very stupid. I tossed some dried mealworms on the ground and she flew out of the nesting box and mixed it up with the hens to get her share. Not sure if the hens were afraid to approach because of the dog or not. But when the hens did peck at her she ran and hid under the dog.





One of these for sure is a BR. The others is a 50% to be a BCM. How long does it take before BCM's start to get the copper. In the second photo it looks like the two on the upper left might be the BCM with the rest being BR









Letting them out to spread their wings some and experience the rest of the coop.

 

[keesmom]

I have a question about some chicks I bought last week on a spur of the moment. The feed store had accidentily mixed Barred Rock chicks with Black Copper Marans chicks. All photos of day old chicks I have seen of the two breeds they look very similar. But with some searching on the internet while at the store myslelf and the chicken keeper at the feed store determined that the BCM's would have white toes and the Barred rocks would have more yellowish toes. I did have a a Barred Rock chick already at home and compared the the toes. They did look different. Any assistance in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

The barred chicks will have a white dot on the head. Black copper Marans chicks do not.

 

[mdshec]

The barred chicks will have a white dot on the head. Black copper Marans chicks do not.

I went back yesterday to get some more chick starter. they changed the labeling to Barred Rock / Marans. So I am thinking they got Cuckoo Marans instead of the BCM. Still holding out for a 50% marans out of the 4

 

[keesmom]

I went back yesterday to get some more chick starter.  they changed the labeling to Barred Rock / Marans.  So I am thinking they got Cuckoo Marans instead of the BCM.  Still holding out for a 50% marans out of the 4

Don't any have feathered legs?

 

[Coop de Grass]

Don't any have feathered legs?

Only the French Black Copper Marans would have feathered legs. My last hatch of FBCM had one chick without feathering on the legs. I ordered those eggs, not sure why the one was different.

 

[mdshec]

Don't any have feathered legs?

Nope. Will just hope and wait for the eggs to come.

 

[keesmom]

Nope. Will just hope and wait for the eggs to come.

You will know before any eggs. The Rocks will have yellow legs, the Marans white. Unfortunately in my experience the egg color from hatchery Marans isn't much different than other brown eggs.

 

[mdshec]

You will know before any eggs. The Rocks will have yellow legs, the Marans white. Unfortunately in my experience the egg color from hatchery Marans isn't much different than other brown eggs.

My Barred rock doesn't have yellow legs. They aren't white either. But as others have said, it is a hatchery chicken bought from the feed store. She is missing a toe and part of her comb all because she got to close to the tiller.