4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[rufusrooster]

ive had my 3 birds nearly two weeks now, the maran hybrid / speckeldy has a longer legs than the other two and seems quite tall /lanky if you see what i mean, and ive just seen her (or him ?) trying to mount the rhode island red, does this mean for certain i have a cockerel in the coup ?

[Falkor]

Not necessarily...there was a time when I thought my Splash Orp was a cockeral as she was mounting the other Orp.....it was a hormone thing...she was just coming into lay.....

 

Pictures would help us.....we love pics!

[rufusrooster]

Not necessarily...there was a time when I thought my Splash Orp was a cockeral as she was mounting the other Orp.....it was a hormone thing...she was just coming into lay.....

 

Pictures would help us.....we love pics!

 

some pics here from an earlier post but there not that good, i'm gonna get some better ones later when there freeranging, assuming its not persisting down

 

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=48485

[Falkor]

How old are they?

 

A pic side on would be good as we can see the stance and feathers....

[rufusrooster]

here we go,

 

 

as far as i'm aware they are pol, is that 16 - 20 weeks ? she/he has been trying to mount the rir again and my wife witnessed it earlier in the week as well but forgot to tell me, there has been no crowing yet but she/he does occasionaly make a sort of cough/sneeze noise, and i havent seen her try mount the Cochin, i'm assuming thats because she is not laying yet ?

at what age do cockerels start crowing ?

 

cockerel or hen ?

[laurmurf]

looks hen-ish to me... she's more level than upright but with a 'top chook' air about her!

[RubyMurray]

Hhhmmmm

 

If 'it' was my bird I'd be wondering too does look quite tall and legs look sturdy, is that the start of some hackle feathers too?

 

I have myself had an ex-batt mount another ex-batt so I know they do do that sort of thing

 

My young cockerels make a sort of 'honking' sound before they start to crow, does yours make a 'honking' sound?

 

Fingers crossed for you anyway.

 

I bought 6 Orpington pullets (4 x Gold Laced and 2 x Jubilee) two weeks ago and I'm not sure about 4 of them!!!!!

 

Good luck, Dyan

[Redwing]

I'm going with girl but what do I know?

[Charlottechicken]

I'll say girl too, the tail feathers look very female, my cockerels have lovely curly tail feathers, and bigger face furniture.

 

I'll say handsome female, and in charge too

 

Edited to add: My cuckoo Marans X cockerels crowed at 8 weeks and the ambiguous one attempted to crow from 13 weeks (I now have three cockerels ) but all have lovely long curly tail feathers which taper to a point.

[Snowy]

She looks exactly the same as my speckledy girl - mahoosive and would be top chook if Big Black Bertha wasn't in control!

[Ms Tilytinkle]

Hellooooo rufurooster,

 

Well my pennyworth, I'd say a girlie too - perhaps the Mother Hen - top chook!!

But just to confuse the cockerals tee hee - One of my new adopted chooks, the white WILD one - er she jumps on any chicken and makes them crouch - she's just sooo naughty & greedy - only does it when there's treats.

 

Plus your speckled head seems petite & feminine

 

Ms TillyhadtoputMedusaintocooptonightshewassofrightenedtogoinincase

Lola(lookslikeaguybutisreallyawomanLola)attackedheragain.Itssosawfultheyvenever

beenlikethisbefore&Lolawasthelowestoftheeckingorder

[rufusrooster]

thanks everyone, youve reassured me. its a girl, well hopefully

 

as for being top chook, not really sure of that yet ? had them for 12 days now and from day one the speckledy and cochin tend to stay together all the time with the rir a bit of a loner but no trouble really at all, now all of a sudden, when the the speckledy has tried to mount the rir, the rir then takes it out on the cochin, they seem ok when freeranging, its just when they 1st go back in the run,

 

i can pick up the cochin and rir reasonably easily already and clipped there wings on the second day but still have not managed to catch the speckledy yet, althoug not wnting to spook/panic her i havent tried that hard.

 

hopefully things will settle down again, there maybee still sorting out the pecking order.

 

if the speckledy is just coming into lay how do you think i will have to wait for her 1st egg ?

[rufusrooster]

Hhhmmmm

 

If 'it' was my bird I'd be wondering too does look quite tall and legs look sturdy, is that the start of some hackle feathers too?

 

I have myself had an ex-batt mount another ex-batt so I know they do do that sort of thing

 

My young cockerels make a sort of 'honking' sound before they start to crow, does yours make a 'honking' sound?

 

Fingers crossed for you anyway.

 

I bought 6 Orpington pullets (4 x Gold Laced and 2 x Jubilee) two weeks ago and I'm not sure about 4 of them!!!!!

 

Good luck, Dyan

 

its a week later now (well tomorrow anyway) still no eggs or crowing from her/him, things have calmed down fine again in the run, although she/he is still occasionally trying to mount the rir, even when freeranging and today she/he was even trying to hold her neck down with her beak as he/she tried to mount her,

she/he doesnt honk but makes a sort of continuous gurgling/throaty noise before coughing/sneezing.

surely if he was a cockerel he would be crowing by now ?

called in at the shop during the week and he thought they were 7 months old ! ive asked him to check with his supplier,