Chook Me!

What kind of chicks do I have? Need help identifying chickens!?

I bought 6 little chicks at a feed store on my way home. I know nothing about them, except research I've done. I bought them a chicken waterer & feeder, 2 bags of starter food, and a temporary cage, which they have like 20 times more room now. I got 3 different kinds. 2 of each. I don't have a way of uploading pictures right now, since we moved & my camera is packed somewhere....so I'll describe them. Okay the first 2 are just pale yellow color, like a standard chick....You know how when you think of a baby chicken, you think a little yellow one...yeah thats them! Orange feet & beak. The next 2 are black & white. 1 is almost completely black, except under belly, and chest area that is white. They even have black on their beaks. Their feet are greyish colored. I know the sign said they were called Black something. The last 2 I remember are Rhode Island Reds....Pretty positive thats what the sign said & from pictures I've seen. So they were all $2.95, so I know they aren't some fancy expensive chickens, and the store had like 100. Please help me identify them! I want to look up more information about them. We are building a 12'x12'x12' pen for them, and getting a coop delivered Wednesday. We love these little guys! Oh yeah and the store said they were all females. Thanks

Public Comments

1. That is pretty general description. Go back to the feed store you bought them from and ask them what kind they sold you.
2. It's very difficult to I.D. baby chicks as to breed. Many look nothing like what they will be when they grow up. The good thing is that all baby chicks need the same type of care. No special needs for different breeds. Here's a link to McMurray Hatchery: http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/category/day_old_baby_chickens.html You should be able to I.D. them yourself after they feather out, by looking at the pictures on McMurray Hatchery web site. The feed store should be able to tell you the breeds you purchased. The black ones are probably Black Austrolorps. They are an extremely good breed of chicken. My personal favorite. Look over the McMurray Hatchery site, especially the heavy breed section. That's where you will find many of your laying hens. Good luck with your chicks. ~Garnet Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years
3. its very hard to know what breed a chick is from just saying its colour, and even if u said more its still pretty hard to identify it. unless u go back to the shop and ask u will have to wait till they are older and fully grown to be sure of their breed. sorry. but you could check on here if these identify them at all... http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
4. check out he link..... murray mcmurray hatchery has a pdf catalog it describes several breeds ,but it's really hard to tell what your going to get many young look similar only to change night and day after they are grown,you might have to wait till then for a positive id.
5. Oh goodness, this could be a different # of breeds. The yellow chick could be a White Rock, White orpington, white giant, white Wyandottes, Cornish, white leghorns, but most likely its a rock, leghorn, possibley wyandottes. I think with them being orange bea and feet most likely a Leghorn The other 2 black and white are 100 percent Australorps no doubt about it, most sell them beause they lay lots of eggs and are friendly breed. You will ahve so much fun...... CHickens are great pets and youll definatly get a lot of eggs from the Australoorp, the Black Australorp
6. The black and white ones sound like silkies. Black silkie and white silkie.
7. Yellow chick- White Rock- This is what I mostly see coming from TS stock that is yellow. White Rocks will have red ears and be a medium sized chicken, with pure white feathers. When they are full grown they will be around 6-7 pounds and lay large brown eggs. It is my guess that it is a hen if it is a white rock. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/white_rocks.html there is a chick pic on the bottom corner. Leghorn- This is another possibility, due to its popularity as a white egg producer. Leghorns have white ears instead of red, and develop rapidly. If you have one of these birds it is most likely a female as well. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/pearl_white_leghorn.html Other breeds are possibly, but these are the two most common. You may have also mistakenly got stuck with Red Sex Link males, but I wouldn’t think they would carry many of them. Or you could have Cornish Rocks, which are meat birds, and you will notice them getting pretty big rather quickly. Black and White- Most likely a Barred Rock http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/pearl_white_leghorn.html Black Australorp is also a possibility but not as common and should develop to be solid black despite the little bit of white they can have as chicks. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/black_australorps.html As for someone said Silkies- Silkies have feathered feet, and they will not be growing in feathers but rather a fluffy type of fur. And as for going back and asking what you got- They will most likely not know. The people at TSC rarely know much about chickens. If you have any other questions, or want help with further identification when you get the pics feel free to contact me at bluetreeleaf@yahoo.com Good luck with your new family Jamie/Rhode Runner