ali-s Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Any chance you could post a picture of Indiana please? My freckle is growing some boyish feathers along her back although her tail looks girly She is 6 months old and hasn't started crowing (yet) Our camera has gone walkabout and the lead to plug it into the computer has been missing for ages I would really appriciate a picture of a Poland Cockeral to compare to Freckle. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 Here's a couple from Feathersite ali The top one is a chamois. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Certainly. Heres our boy,who is in disgrace today & living on borrowed time. He had a crowing session at 3.30 am this morning,just after I had fallen back to sleep after being up already,so I feel a bit of a wreck today & not very cockerel friendly Here he is at about 16/18 weeks & here he is now,with his posh tail feathers just after he started crowing. He must be about 24 weeks,at a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Thanks Fee and Sarah Freckle looks like Indiana's twin She/he has long thin pointy feathers on it's lower back at the base of the tail just like Indiana. Indiana has a very long tail feather whereas freckle's tail feathers are about the same length. My gut feeling is that she is a boy although he hasn't started crowing yet or tried it on with the girls Maybe he is confused I just can't believe this Probably means another 6 hour journey to return him to the breeder, who will be so pleased OH is going to be livid Must have a good search for the camera and cable tonight and try and get a picture tomorrow if it is not too dark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Pointy feathers on the cushion at the base of the tail are a good indicator of a boy - does he/she have strong sturdy legs like Indiana? BTW Sarah, he is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted November 26, 2007 Author Share Posted November 26, 2007 Yup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Sounds like a boy then. They hold themselves differently from a hen - cocks tend to strut around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 Come on Ali,get the camera out. I've shown you mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ladylucan Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 They are beautiful, and the three that i have just rehomed due to the noise they made!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 i'm surprised they can see where they are going, I can't see their eyes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 That's just it Poet - they can't! My Dolly zigzags along the lawn bumping into things. I need to give her hair a trim again... last summer she was sporting a fetching 80s wedge style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 It does make them very easy to catch though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted November 27, 2007 Share Posted November 27, 2007 True, she has a 'straight up tail', like a rudder and I can grab her easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 Well freckle Cockadoodledooed this morning I have been burying my head in the sand about him for the last month. I tried to convince myself he wasn't a boy and if he was he might never crow What a lovely cockadoodledoo he made as well So I will be phoning the breeder today to see if he will take him back. Now I have my own camera I will take a picture of Freckle when it gets light. Freckle was going to lay me lovely white eggs I will not be replacing him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Thats such a shame Ali. Couldn't you replace him with 2 more hens?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Oh no that's such a shame, I'm sorry you got the noise instead of eggs karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 What a shame. These breeders don't seem to know much more than we do....do they? That's at least three disappointed owners in the last week on the forum. Rotten luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janty Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I was just going to say that we are not having a lot of luck with hens turning out to be cockerels lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 I agree, a friend of mine bought 4 POL hens last year in October - one of them turned out to be male too - they were pure breeds and the breeder and I were both convinced that they were all male She's replaced it with an Araucana bantam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted January 2, 2008 Author Share Posted January 2, 2008 Here is a rather bad photo of Freckle. Of the 8 I took of him this one was the best. He is seven and a half months old and today was the first time he had crowed. I have never seen him try to mate with the girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules. Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 He's lovely. Sorry he's not a girl- hope things go well with the breeder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 What handsome chap Ali - perhaps he can't see the laydees with his bouffant hairdo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 What handsome chap Ali - perhaps he can't see the laydees with his bouffant hairdo! Indiana doesn't have that problem He is forever harrasing the poor things,especially the tiny Barbus. Funnily enough he leave the fiesty Pekin well alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ali-s Posted January 3, 2008 Author Share Posted January 3, 2008 Freckle is going home on Saturday OH will be going with me as I don't like the idea of travelling by myself in the dodgy weather forecast. Yesterday Freckle crowed twice when he was let out of the Eglu when it was still dark, and not a squeak from him for the rest of the day. This morning the chickens are still in their Eglus as I am hoping that by the time I let them out most of the neighbours will be up and about and not notice the crowing. His crowing is no worse than the darned Seagulls squarking all hours of the day and night. He is a lot more tuneful as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feemcg Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I think what we've all learned recently is that some of the pure breeds often don't start to show boy 'signs' until they are 5/6 months old and crow/mate even later (if only it was easier to vent sex). On the other hand my wee Frizzle bantams were crowing their heads off and attacking me at 9 weeks . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...