Tractor Supply Feb 2021 Ameraucanas not pullets?

[CHlCKEN]

Then
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Now
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She’s definitely a hen but you can see that she was getting all pointy on me for a bit and because at the time I lacked much experience I assumed she was a boy.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone else had ordered Americauna sexed pullets from their local Tractor Supply this year? I bought six last February and as of two weeks ago, five of the six turned out to be males. I ended up culling the males as no one around these parts will buy male chickens. I know, i've tried several times in the past few years, even when it was a rare breed, placing my ad with local stores, the newspaper and Craigslist. The only people that buy the males, and only if the price is $2.00, or free, are the local hispanic folks. The man I buy raw milk from says he gives his male chickens to hispanic folks that come to buy his milk. They make chicken tamales with them and barter the tamales for some of the milk they get from him to turn it into soft cheese.
I was very dissapointed with my purchase at 4 dollars a chick. Tractor Supply shows that their success rate on the sexed chicks is 90%. I phoned them and they said that they could only give me more chicks to replace the males. I have a small flock already, and don't want to go through the money and time of raising more chicks.

I got some chicks from TSC and one of the ‘leghorn pullets’ is most likely a cockerel as well as one of the langshan pullets. Sorry this happened to you as well. I’ll probably never go through TSC again for chicks after having great success with a local breeder and I’m getting some chicks from McMurray Hatchery in June so hopefully will have good success their too. Best of luck will your remaining chicks.

 

[CHlCKEN]

Hoovers seems to be the most common provider, yes. But sometimes different TSCs have different providers, for example I’ve seen some get from Cackle, Privett, etc...

My TSC actually gets their chicks from local breeders, not a hatchery.

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

My TSC actually gets their chicks from local breeders, not a hatchery.

That’s cool, wish that was true for all TSCs. Could be why the sexing wasn’t as accurate as well though. Pretty sure mine gets them from a hatchery.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

My TSC actually gets their chicks from local breeders, not a hatchery.

Yep, the reason I was asking is if there was something wonky with the sexing from their TSC provider.

 

[arkansas_ash]

Thanks for all of your input on this. @Chicken, that is a gorgeous second single photo of the white pullet.

Oh, they all started crowing one by one was how I finally accepted that they were cockerels, but I first suspected when they started to spar in morning and late afternoon, and noticed their combs were getting larger and redder than the female.

I had to call again as last Saturday, the gal at the store didn't know where they got them from. The guy on the phone said Hoover Hatchery.

The great news is today I was able to get two pullets from the fellow I buy milk from. He called them Aracanas, and said he got them from a guy in his town that raises chickens and sells locally (one county north of us). He said they were born in late January, so that makes them about a week or two older than the ones I got from T.S. I don't think they're aracanas, as a lot of people around here use that for any odd colored egg laying hen and they don't look like the Aracanas in my old McMurray Hatchery catalog. The one on the right was the only female from my original six. She has no cheek feathers whereas all of the males did. Maybe I bought the Bachelor Party mix and she was the mistake.

 

[Fallenone05]

Thanks for all of your input on this. @Chicken, that is a gorgeous second single photo of the white pullet.

Oh, they all started crowing one by one was how I finally accepted that they were cockerels, but I first suspected when they started to spar in morning and late afternoon, and noticed their combs were getting larger and redder than the female.

I had to call again as last Saturday, the gal at the store didn't know where they got them from. The guy on the phone said Hoover Hatchery.

The great news is today I was able to get two pullets from the fellow I buy milk from. He called them Aracanas, and said he got them from a guy in his town that raises chickens and sells locally (one county north of us). He said they were born in late January, so that makes them about a week or two older than the ones I got from T.S. I don't think they're aracanas, as a lot of people around here use that for any odd colored egg laying hen and they don't look like the Aracanas in my old McMurray Hatchery catalog. The one on the right was the only female from my original six. She has no cheek feathers whereas all of the males did. Maybe I bought the Bachelor Party mix and she was the mistake.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/ameraucana-easter-egger-or-araucana/

This has a really nice visual guide to distinguish the three, Ameraucana, Easter Eggers (Or Americana/Americauna) and Araucana. ANY spelling that varies from Ameraucana is an Easter Egger, especially from hatcheries. Araucana have very specific face fluffs as well.

 

[arkansas_ash]

Fallenone05 said​

This has a really nice visual guide to distinguish the three, Ameraucana, Easter Eggers (Or Americana/Americauna) and Araucana. ANY spelling that varies from Ameraucana is an Easter Egger, especially from hatcheries. Araucana have very specific face fluffs as well.

Thanks Fallenone05!
Those Aracanas are unusual looking! Mine look more like Easter Eggers from the coloring. I'm just glad they get along and have buddied up. I've named the single hen from the original six, Hen Solo. She's a friendly girl and likes to roost on my arm when I hold her as she doesn't like to be held with both hands.
I found the Tractor Supply chick days feedback page and filled it out to let them know about the mix up.

 

[arkansas_ash]

Mamatomany123 said:

This also. Were they crowing? Because a lot.of people go off of their tail feathers and think they're Male when EEs actually get pretty rooish looking tail feathers.

Hi Mamatomany123,
Yep, they were starting to crow. The largest, the barred, first. He was also the friendliest, and after raising chicks on and off, with every straight run mix, the friendliest always turns out to be the male that is bigger than the others.
I did do some searching on how to tell whether or not your chicks are male or not, and was shocked to find one web page said females will crow! That at the earliest age, it can be two months for males to start crowing. Mine starting crowing at about six weeks of age. So next time I will have to hold out until I can see their feathering, but so far, every chick I've had that has crowed has turned out to be male when I've kept them until they were obvious males with their side flank feathering. I've had two hens crow, and that was when they turned broody and I stuck them in the airy anti-brood pen. I guess they were trying to get attention, protesting their jail sentence, so to speak.