how do you tell how old a chicken/hen is?

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missythechicken

missythechicken

In the Brooder
Nov 11, 2015
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UK
I've been told by someone my hens are 6 months to a year, but none of them have laid one egg yet.
Then yesterday I was told they look way younger than that, and you can tell by the size of their combs?
How do you roughly tell the age of a chicken?
 
In young birds, 6 months or younger, you can usually tell if it's this young because the comb and wattles will still be small and pale. Older than that, you can guess a rooster's age by his spurs, and sometimes a hen can be checked by her feet. The older they are, the uglier their feet get. Yellow legged hens will also sometimes lose color from their shanks as they go into laying age.
 
missythechicken said:
Here they are
Click to expand...
In picture #1, you have a bantam hen on the right. She has a nice red comb and wattle, I'd say she's getting close to laying. Not sure if you already know, but I'm pretty sure the bird on the left is a cockerel. I'd need a better picture to confirm. In picture #2 and #3 you have two pullets, I would say are approximately 4 months old.
 
Yes, the one on the left, is a cockerel. The seller told me they have smaller combs because of the breed?
 
Last edited:
Does anyone have vent pictures from hens that are no longer laying eggs so I know which birds to thin out?
 
missythechicken said:
Yes, the one on the left, is a cockerel. The seller told me they have smaller combs because of the breed?
Click to expand...


I've had Dom hens with combs the size of a rooster's. In rose combed breeds even hens should have thick, meaty combs. Not sure what the breed is on the black (Australorp possibly) but I can tell by the color alone that her comb is immature.
 

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