Is this an Ancona? It's supposed to be a Black Australorp

[Leasmom1013]

I have three that are similar. From the beginning they were the same color they are now and larger than the rest. I immediately thought they may be a different breed but then I saw a video with some Black Australorps that looked similar so I figured I must be wrong. But they are now 3 weeks old and they haven't changed. I honestly am not sure if I have Black Australorps, to be honest. But, I want to identify this one first. What is this?

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Not ancona that breed is mottled your chicks are solid black the white specks will molt out

 

[Leasmom1013]

Not ancona that breed is mottled your chicks are solid black the white specks will molt out

So are they black australorp?

 

[ShrekDawg]

@3KillerBs

 

[3KillerBs]

Black chickens often have white undersides as chicks and white on the edges of the wings. Yours do seem to have a lot of white, but not so very much as to make me think they aren't going to be black.

Where did these babies come from and exactly how old are they?

 

[Leasmom1013]

Black chickens often have white undersides as chicks and white on the edges of the wings. Yours do seem to have a lot of white, but not so very much as to make me think they aren't going to be black.

Where did these babies come from and exactly how old are they?

They're 3 weeks old and they came from Hoover's Hatchery.

 

[3KillerBs]

They're 3 weeks old and they came from Hoover's Hatchery.

Hoover's is know for non-SOP birds.

They also produce a lot of "designer" hatchery hybrids.

Did you get them directly from Hoover's or through a farm store? The latter increases the odds of a wrong chick getting into the order but ANY hatchery can have an occasional mix-up.

Time will tell. The juvenile molts can make a LOT of difference in chicks' looks.

 

[Leasmom1013]

Hoover's is know for non-SOP birds.

They also produce a lot of "designer" hatchery hybrids.

Did you get them directly from Hoover's or through a farm store? The latter increases the odds of a wrong chick getting into the order but ANY hatchery can have an occasional mix-up.

Time will tell. The juvenile molts can make a LOT of difference in chicks' looks.

I got them directly from Hoovers. It's been 15 years since I had chickens and I had Rhode Island Reds back then. So I'm starting over. What is non-SOP birds?

 

[3KillerBs]

I got them directly from Hoovers. It's been 15 years since I had chickens and I had Rhode Island Reds back then. So I'm starting over. What is non-SOP birds?

SOP = Standard of Perfection, which is the official description of the breed according to the breed clubs that defined the breeds in the first place.

The SOP for a given breed can vary from country to country, but it's the official description that all serious breeders should aim for.

This, for example, is the SOP for Australorps in Australia (the US SOP isn't available online, it differs only slightly (and I forget exactly how)): http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp

Very few hatcheries choose their breeding flocks strictly according to the SOP for those breeds, but Hoover's is know for some of their birds having only a vague resemblance to their supposed breed.

Which doesn't mean that Hoover's birds aren't healthy, vigorous chickens who will lay well and thrive in a backyard environment.

In fact, while the best show breeders do work hard to maintain vigor, an appropriate level of laying for the breed, etc., some focus so intensely on perfecting physical traits that they lose ground in fertility and egg-laying capacity.

Not every backyard chicken needs to be a sterling example of it's breed. In fact, I deliberately sourced hatchery-quality Silver-Laced Wyandottes because I *wanted* the non-SOP single combs for a breeding project and because I believed that they would do better in my hot and steamy climate than the birds with the correct Rose combs.

But this kind of variation does mean that it can be harder to identify chicks and even adults.

 

[Leasmom1013]

SOP = Standard of Perfection, which is the official description of the breed according to the breed clubs that defined the breeds in the first place.

The SOP for a given breed can vary from country to country, but it's the official description that all serious breeders should aim for.

This, for example, is the SOP for Australorps in Australia (the US SOP isn't available online, it differs only slightly (and I forget exactly how)): http://www.openpoultrystandards.com/Australorp

Very few hatcheries choose their breeding flocks strictly according to the SOP for those breeds, but Hoover's is know for some of their birds having only a vague resemblance to their supposed breed.

Which doesn't mean that Hoover's birds aren't healthy, vigorous chickens who will lay well and thrive in a backyard environment.

In fact, while the best show breeders do work hard to maintain vigor, an appropriate level of laying for the breed, etc., some focus so intensely on perfecting physical traits that they lose ground in fertility and egg-laying capacity.

Not every backyard chicken needs to be a sterling example of it's breed. In fact, I deliberately sourced hatchery-quality Silver-Laced Wyandottes because I *wanted* the non-SOP single combs for a breeding project and because I believed that they would do better in my hot and steamy climate than the birds with the correct Rose combs.

But this kind of variation does mean that it can be harder to identify chicks and even adults.

Thank you for that explanation.