Oh NO!!! I've had a MIXUP!

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

What do I do now??? I had an incubator hatching and somehow it didn't occur to me that the breeds coming out would be very similar in color...now I don't know what to do! I can't tell my dark cornish from my Red Quill Games! Or my Brown Leghorns from my Red Quill Games! Here's the situation: I have a brooder set up with the first series of chicks that hatched BEFORE the Brown Leghorns started hatching. That includes BCM, Dark Cornish, Red Quill Games, Cochins, and Silkie (1). When the BL started hatching, I made another brooder and they are in there but a few RQG hatched with them and between my husband, kids and I, nobody kept track of which egg which chick appeared from...

So now I have two brooders, around 20 or so chicks, and no idea who is who, except the blue cochins, BCM, silkie and an oddball Lakenvelder I forgot to mention (he's blue and yellow). I had already advertised them for sale and now I fear I will have to keep them a few weeks just to know who I have!

 

[galanie]

The only thing you can do is wait till they are older so you can tell. Or maybe post pictures in the "What breed or gender is this?" section. Mark them in some way so you'll know who is who first. A little food coloring on the feathers can do it for now, or leg bands.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Thanks! I REALLY don't want to raise them for a couple of weeks because of the cost of feed for so many, and chick prices around here have dropped drastically since the spring rush seems to be over...I'll be lucky to get 1.00 per chick at all! If I end up feeding them for a week or two I basically end up paying people to buy them...

Anyway, I may take your suggestions and put them on the "what breed/gender" thread if I can find batteries for my camera, lol

Thanks so much for your response! Was starting to think nobody cared, lol

 

[galanie]

haha you're welcome. On the weekends, often posts get to the second page fast and then people don't see them there. Those of us who know that look at pages 2 and 3 on the weekends cause nearly always there are unread threads that far back, even when we come here every day.

Good luck with your babies!

 

[Nicole01]

Prices went up here! It's $5.00 or more per chick. You will have to sell them assorted. Otherwise, you will have some very unhappy customers if they get the wrong chick. I personally would take the loss and wait. The feed isn't that expensive. Good luck.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Quote:
Excellent point on the selling them as assorted! And you're right too...the feed isn't too expensive, but honestly in my area I am having NO luck selling for more than 1.00 per chick, I don't care the breed! I went to an auction Friday night and got 6 FBCM week-olds for .75 per bird if that tells you anything...

Thanks again, Galanie!

 

[Nicole01]

BigDaddy'sGurl :

Quote:
Excellent point on the selling them as assorted! And you're right too...the feed isn't too expensive, but honestly in my area I am having NO luck selling for more than 1.00 per chick, I don't care the breed! I went to an auction Friday night and got 6 FBCM week-olds for .75 per bird if that tells you anything...

Thanks again, Galanie!

Wow! Where were you when I was buying chicks???

I paid 4 something for the last 5 chicks and the price keeps going up. There are very few places around here to buy chicks. I hope your able to make a profit. I'm sure hatching them wad exciting. Maybe someday we will hatch our chicks.