mostin Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 (edited) When HENthusiastic and I went to the chicken auction we bought 3 Buff Sussex hens. Hen took one and I went home with the other 2. One of mine has become somewhat larger than the other, and is a lot more upright *coughcockerel* . I have been in denial for a few weeks now, and did not want to face the opinions of you good omleteers , but after seeing the pictures of Egluntines boy and girl sussex pair, I have to bite the bullet. So hear goes..........cast your votes. Is she Bella? Or is he Bill? Bella/Bill Dora who I got at the same time Both together, so you can see the size difference. Edited June 30, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Sorry Mostin - I'd guess at Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moochoo Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I'd guess Bill too. If they're both the same age "Bill" has an awful lot of headgear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 oh darling mostin.... look at those hocks! look at those legs! If this was a hooman, we'd be looking at Henry VIII! That chook has 'give me women, lots of 'em and be damn quick about it' written all over him. sorry, my love, I'd have to say boy (we could pretend a bit longer though, couldn't we? .....'isn't SHE lovely, what long legs - Elle McPherson would love legs like that" - there, do you feel a bit better? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsallen08 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 hehe laurmurf! Definately crack walnuts or maybe even safes with those legs! So so sorry mostin, if it helps our first 5/6 hens from a 'breeder' were cockerels. And we had them from little chicks so we were very unhappy! He is lovely though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickvic Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I'd say Bill as well sorry. What are you going to do with him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 He has tail feathers just like my light sussex boys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 from what I know (which is not as much as a lot of you) I am leaning bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I would have expected a but more headgear looking at Egluntines younger sussex however 'Bill' is quite a bit different to the other obvious girl so I am going for boy Sorry Will you keep him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am going for Bill too.....sorry Could he go and live on Hen's field? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Sorry I think Bill as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I'm going for Bill too - but can you possibly keep him? My three Polish " hens" turned out to be a trio - and its lovely. Phillip is so handsome and he looks after his " girls" so well. He finds them tasty morsels, calls them over and stands back while they feed. Trouble is, he keeps losing them as his eyesight is not that good- so stands there, head back, calling to them till they appear. When they lose sight of him, after a while, they walk around making a pathetic " mewing" sound till he appears. Actually on the minus side,thinking this through, he can be a nasty so and so if you get between him and the girls ......... Luckily our neighbours love them. I do think a cockerel adds another dimension to chicken -keeping - as long as the neighbours can be dealt with. s/he is beautiful, Mostin...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Well, it's tricky . If he/she is going to start crowing soon, and lets face it, I think we'd all be surprised if he didn't , it's going to cause problems as my chooks are near to the house. In answer to Hen's field, unfortunately, her field is nearer to houses than the woods at the back of my garden, and she promised the man she rented the field from she wouldn't have any cockerels. I assume cockerels are just as unhappy to live on their own as hens are, so if I move him up into the woods, where the neighbours can't hear him, he would have to be moved with a small harem. I don't know if if I could bare not to see any of my usual girls every day so this would mean getting new girls. This may lead to divorce, , do you see my problem . And do they have to live with the girl you want them to breed with or could I move him in with Dora next spring? This may all be a moot point anyway, as in order to have a ?cockerel that I could handle I have been cuddling he/she everyday. This has resulted in a fantasic 3 claw scratch on my arm that is really nasty and deep . If he gets more aggressive and unmanageable then his fate will be sealed . Such a beautiful chicken though. I should have had my suspicions earlier though, he/she is always lying down. I have never seen a chicken spend so much time on its bum before , typical bloke . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffin Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Bill. Although I have to say I think Egluntines Anton is a very well developed lad for his age because my Light Sussex boy is 17 weeks old and hasn't as much face furniture as him. The feathers on his rump curl over like Bills though and just this past week or two the black tail feathers have developed a beetle green sheen to them. He's just starting to grow pointy hackle feathers and his stance is similar to Bills, very very long legged, looks a bit like a giant He looks like a baby giraffe at the feeders, struggling to bend down far enough to eat because of his ginormous legs in the way Yep and my Forest Gump is exactly the same, he's always laying down. He likes to sit under the same tree as the ex-bats, probably because the other girls pick on him and he's such a big girls blouse, daren't answer back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Deffo a boy Mostin, sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Such a beautiful chicken though. I should have had my suspicions earlier though, he/she is always lying down. I have never seen a chicken spend so much time on its bum before , typical bloke . Anton is a lazy beggar too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Typical Tell him he'll end up with moobs if he doesn't get enough exercise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Bill, for definite...you were sold a trio, (Cockeral and 2 hens) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Bill, for definite...you were sold a trio, (Cockeral and 2 hens) It's our fault for trusting old men with pipes in their mouths. There were 6 cages of buff sussex. 2 were just cocks, 3 were trios, but the auctioneer and all the hecklers in the crowd told us that the lot we bought were 3 hens. It's hard not to giggle when old men lean over you and say "That's the lot you want if you don't like cocks love" When I look back on the photos of when we bought them the only difference is that Bill has a slightly bigger comb, but all 3 looked exactly the same apart from that. It's amazing how fast he's grown since then. Perhaps it was an honest mistake, or perhaps it wasn't , I'll look upon it as a cockerel of fate, since I can't seem to get a chicken of fate . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 so has Bill changed your mind about cocks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 so has Bill changed your mind about cocks? He's the prettiest one I've ever seen . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 my cockeral of fate is the best thing that ever happened to me chicken-wise - he gives a real point to the flock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 my cockeral of fate is the best thing that ever happened to me chicken-wise - he gives a real point to the flock. Thanks Daphne , I truly hope mine turns out that way . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HENthusiastic Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I dont think you're really asking are you ? You are just deciding its time to face up to what you know . Your logic sounds spot on to me, re getting more girls to put with him in the woods. Surely OH would agree with you, given time. he wouldn't want bill to go would he? I was reading about how its actually better to breed from non related birds, so you would have another line of argument for getting more girls to go with him to the fields. Another nice sussie would be good eh? Or maybe a couple of different coloured sussies, then it all becomes cost effective; breeding your own utility birds, you could even sell your fertile eggs? Maybe appeal to ShaunW's business mind and put it to him as a financially sound business venture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mostin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 I dont think you're really asking are you ? You are just deciding its time to face up to what you know . Your logic sounds spot on to me, re getting more girls to put with him in the woods. Surely OH would agree with you, given time. he wouldn't want bill to go would he? I was reading about how its actually better to breed from non related birds, so you would have another line of argument for getting more girls to go with him to the fields. Another nice sussie would be good eh? Or maybe a couple of different coloured sussies, then it all becomes cost effective; breeding your own utility birds, you could even sell your fertile eggs? Maybe appeal to ShaunW's business mind and put it to him as a financially sound business venture? Maybe there was just a faint glimmer of hope left? but I think the poll on here has finalised things. Just need to formulate my plan thoroughly now . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...