my girls need an identity! any ideas?

[redrstr29]

Its hard to tell with his feathers coming in...do u have any baby pics of him/her

 

[Kelsie2290]

It does look like a male. They have four breeds that I can think of that would be solid black. Andalusian, they have "Blue Andalusians" but blues come in blue, black and splash, Black Minorcas, Australorps and Jersey Giants. If it is as big as it looks I almost wonder if you have a Giant. The Minorcas and Andys usually look more like leghorns, could be a Australorp but don't think McM puts them in as the "exotic".

 

[jujube2]

Hi Kelsie,

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. I did order 2 female australorps but so far I have only identified 1 that looks more australorp than jersey giant. I took photos of the 2 chicks together and separately again today to see what their differences might be. I also ordered 3 buff rocks and have only 2 so my order was not very accurately filled. There are 2 "exotics" which a member has helped me identify as dark brahmas which were not part of my order. The chick in question has new feathers growing in today with a beautiful green sheen to them. I thought both male and female australorps looked the same, could be the male looks quite different at this age. I went back to read descriptions of both jersey giants and australorps and it does say the australorp has glossy black plumage which has a greenish purple sheen. So it seems I received a male and a female instead of the 2 females ordered. I will have to keep watching to see what I actually received as each growth spurt reveals more surprises with my little flock.

Photos 1 and 2 are what could be a male australorp, bottom what I believe to be a female australorp with gray shading in the feathers and jersey giant(male).

 

[donrae]

these are my beautiful girls and ive not got a clue what breed they are ! it doesnt really matter as i love them both but would be nice to know x they are both 7 weeks old now vivienne the brown one is alot smaller than bellina the white one.

Your white bird is absolutely a cockerel. A hen won't get that much comb and color until she's ready to lay, say about 5-6 months old. If you were guaranteed a pullet from a private seller, contact them and see if they can make it right. If he came from a hatchery or feed store, you're usually just out of luck, sorry. The second bird is female.
I think the first bird is a light Sussex, not a Delaware. The leg color and lack of barring are why I think this.
The female looks to be an Easter egger.

 

[Kelsie2290]

I'm not sure if I am seeing the right pictures, there are two with what looks to be the same chick, big black chick without much feathering, def a roo, by chain link fence, would guess that one is either a JG, or could be a big lorp, check the bottom of its feet, the JG should have yellowish skin, the lorp pink/white...both will have a pretty green/purple sheen to their feathers, especially the roos.
Third pic is of two chicks, both with a lot more feathering?
The easiest way to tell JG and lorp chicks apart is the skin on the bottom of the feet, JG=yellow, lorp=pink/white, this is not 100% with hatchery stock since they don't necessarily meet the standard, but it is a good start.
Did you order sexed chicks? I would be surprised if they made this many errors, I have found them very accurate on their sexing. If you have not, I would complain/talk to their customer service especially about the missing chicks, they are usually very good about correcting mistakes.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

the first is a delaware cockerel

 

[ShayBaby]

Your white bird is absolutely a cockerel.

I think the first bird is a light Sussex, not a Delaware. The leg color and lack of barring are why I think this.
The female looks to be an Easter egger.

x2, on both accounts. This guy's dark feathers are not barred as should a Delaware's be.

 

[jujube2]

Thank so much for the input. I did order 2 female australorps. The hatchery did make up the 25 chicks ordered, and did add the 2 free chicks. The invoice showed 28 chicks, we received 27. I did call McMurray re: the issues we have and was pretty much brushed off. I contacted them about a week or so ago in an effort to e-mail a photo of the flock and unidentified chick, my chat was closed as I was submitting my concerns. With this I have decided to just watch and see what my flock surprises me with each week.

 

[K Spot]

I'm not sold on the first bird being a Delaware. From what I can see, it has white legs, whereas Delawares are yellow.

I'm leaning more toward Light Sussex, as Sussex have white legs. But I do agree its a roo.