I ordered a rare breed assortment from Meyer and I am only positive about one of them. Help with breed and gender, thanks in advance! Poor little one in the second picture, tail feathers coming in and are bleeding, is this normal? This is the only one that I am positive about, white crested polish. Male or female?
I think it's a little early to tell your chicks' breeds and genders but you're right about the Polish. Chick #2, Make sure the other chicks aren't pecking his/her's feathers. Broken feathers can bleed but usually its not from their feathers growing in.
Second one from the bottom looks like a Delaware as does the one with the bleeding tail feathers. The two under the one with the bleeding tail feathers look a lot like my Double Laced Barnvelder chick. Not sure about any of the others. What was the choices Meyer had in the assortment?
Thank you everyone. Here is what their rare breed assortment may include: Ancona, Easter Egger, Andalusian, Wyandotte, Dark Cornish, Delaware, Dominique, Jersey Giant, Brahma, Partridge Rock, Light Brown Leghorn, Hamburg, Sussex, German Spitzhauben Appenzeller, Buckeye, Sumatra, Cochin, Polish, Marans, Campine, Lakenvelder, Faverolles, Buttercup, Welsummer, Exchequer Leghorn, Sultan, Penedesenca, Ameraucana, Blue Orpington. On #2 the spot where the blood was looked like it had a quill in the center, maybe it broke off. They have been getting pretty flighty. I am hoping the #3 is a buttercup.
I just went through this with my own "grab bag" so here's my guesses on the ones that look familiar to me...which are only guesses as so many chicks look alike when young. You'll know more when they feather in. I agree....#1 looks to me to be an Easter Egger as does #4 due to greenish/slate leg color. #2 and #7 don't look to me to be Delawares from your photos, yet, as I don't see any smudgy markings or black tipping developing, but they are very young still; however Delawares should get black tipping on their wings and some on the tails as they grow and specks of black around the neck. Males will get more blacking while the females much less blacking. If they don't get that blacking/smudging they aren't Delawares (or true Delawares). I don't think #5 is a Welsummer because of the white spots in the feathers and the pinkish/tan leg color. Welsummers do not have white spots in their developing feathers and should have yellow legs. It may be a Speckled Sussex which follows the white dots developing and pink/tan legs. However, there is a pretty strong patterning coming through which could suggest something else, perhaps another Easter Egger or as another poster suggested Barnvelder (which I'm not familiar with as a chick). For me, a very strong chipmonk pattern that has a crisp head stripe is usually either a Welsummer, Speckled Sussex, Brown Leghorn, or Easter Egger. Other breeds have chipmonking, but more gentle and smudgy looking and cover more of the head. Here's a good site to look at different baby chick photos for breed determination. https://www.esteshatchery.com/baby-chick-pictures.html HTH Lady of McCamley
Partridge rocks also have pretty "crisp" chipmunk markings. That third one from the bottom could be one as well as one of the breeds mentioned above.
