Newbie Needs Help

[grocerygetter]

Ok, I had wanted some chickens for years. Went to TSC for some goat feed and they had the baby chicks out and I just couldn't resist anymore. Of course the minimum purchase was six and we ended up with seven because that is how many were in the tub and the kids didn't want to leave one to be lonely. Of course no one in the store could tell me what breed they are and all the sign said was "pullets."

Anyhow, everything was going just fine and then one of the chicks started growing exponentially faster than the others, but her feathers aren't coming in as well. Her belly is totally devoid of feathers. I have read every book could get my hands on and nothing has shed any light on what is going on with this bird.

These may not be the best pics but..can anyone tell me what kind of chickens these could be? And has anyone had a similar experience with a chick outgrowing its feathers? Is not a hen? Is it a different breed? Any help would be appreciated!

This is the big bird. We call her Big Dolores

This is the whole flock

 

[sherrydeanne]

I don't want you to panic until someone else confirms.

That said, sit down

Um, I think Dolores is a boiler chick and I think your other six are sexlink ROO's

How old are they?

 

[Woods_Woman]

That sure does look like a broiler..I've no clue on the other.

 

[grocerygetter]

I bought them on March 2nd. So I've had them for a little over 3 weeks. But I don't know how old they were I when I bought them.

 

[sherrydeanne]

Hard to tell from the light, is there some pink to their combs or are they solidly yellow? Do they have any brownish feathering at all or are they solid white? I'm trying to think of something else they could be..... hmm maybe white rocks? Is there a plymouth rock expert around

 

[grocerygetter]

The combs are definately yellow and they are solid white.

I agree that Dolores is likely a broiler after looking at some pics of other broiler chicks. The question for me now is what do I do with it? There is no way we could eat it. Will she be okay to hang out with us? I could slap for myself for buying chicks from TSC instead of from a place that knows what they are doing.

 

[sherrydeanne]

Ok, not sexlink roos then, good

Oh, leghorns!!!! I'm having a duh moment, I don't know why I didn't think of them earlier. I'm obviously not up to form today. They could definately be leghorns, and they're more common than white PR's. As for the boiler, they don't do well, really. They're just not meant to be raised. You can do some searching, there are ways to extend their lives, but it's a lot of work.

 

[Mandalina]

I think Big Dolores is wonderful.

 

[sydney13]

if she is a cornish cross then she might not live a very long life because they have been bred to grow so fast that they often die of heart attacks

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

It looks like 6 leghorn pullets (leghorn cockerels are obvious early on) and 1 cornish X (meat chicken).