Rural King Chicks - What are they? (2024)

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Miss labeled chicks are usually the stores fault, not the hatcheries.

SilverBirds said:

X2

Miss labeled chicks are usually the stores fault, not the hatcheries.

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I thought that too but when I asked them at the store they said they place them directly from the labeled box into their brooders and place the info cards on the brooder. I am sure there are some mix-ups but this is definitely not the first time.

SilverBirds said:

X2

Miss labeled chicks are usually the stores fault, not the hatcheries.

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Sometimes, If the hatchery is hoovers, they are well known for sending wrong labels. Also chicks jump ship through the whole process .

maringirl5 said:

So once again I feel like I have been duped by the hatchery that Rural King uses! These are my "teenagers" that are about 3 months old (born in April)
I picked out and bought 4 Cuckoo Marans, 2 Sapphire Gems and 2 Easter Eggers. One of the EE died after a week so that is why I only have 1 now. As you can see in the photos, the Marans look to me like they are Barred Rocks, some have yellow feet, some have yellow feet with slate tops. The sapphire gems are beautiful but more grey than lavender and their feet are black.I know this is a "New" breed so they may be just what they are, crosses. My Easter Egger is the bigger mystery, for a while I thought she may be a Roo, especially with the mohawk! Haha
No matter what they are, I love them but I am mostly curious about my Marans because I really, really wanted chocolate colored eggs!

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Hi, great looking flock! I’m no expert, but my Sapphire Gem was exactly that color!!!. Your co*ckoo’s look like them. Mine, which I purchased at an Agway, turned out to be PR’s (feet were half gray and half yellow!) and feathers were not define like your gal! Your EE, with so many varieties out there, might be one and only her egg will tell

The barred birds do look like they are probably barred rocks. Hoover's cuckoo marans are clean legged, but they have white legs, not yellow.

Everything else seems to be "as advertised." Saphire gems are blue, not lavender, so your girls are the correct color for that breed. And Easter egger is a catchall phrase for mixed breed chickens that have a strong likelihood to have at least one blue egg gene. It used to mean an Ameraucana or Araucana mix, but since legbars have been important and gained popularity they are being used about as often in easter egger breeding pens.