Do I have a rooster? - Page 2

Here is the Buff Brahma that is not the aggressive one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickenWifey 

Sry, what is a pullet and cockrel, is that hen and rooster?? How long does it take for a rooster to start to crow?

 

How can they sex the eggs? Im just really curious!

A pullet is the name for a young hen. You can call it a pullet for the first year, but most people start calling it a hen when it starts laying eggs.

A cockerel is a young rooster.

They sex day-old chicks, not the eggs. As far as I know, about half are born pullets and half are born cockerels. But I could be wrong.

No you can not change the sex of the chicks.  People are just kidding.  You can't sex eggs either.  The hatchery sexes them right when they hatch if they need to.  Go to this website and watch the video.

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html  It will answer some of your questions.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickenWifey 

Wait.... You can "make" the chickens be boys? OMG

Your welcome!  I am going to recommend a book for you also.  I'm thinking you have children, its a good read for them too.  It is the best beginner book I have seen/read.

http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Raising-Chickens-Tara-Kindschi/dp/0760336288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332855994&sr=8-1

You can usually find it at Tractor Supply Co.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChickenWifey 

That was great! Thanks for the link! I understand a bit more now!
 

 

We got chickens but two turned out to be roosters. You can tell its a rooster by looking at its comb. If the comb is larger than other chickens, there is a good chance you have a rooster. 

I hatch a lot of chicks and it is important for me to identify sex as soon as possible. The most reliable way in my opinion is examining the feathers once they come in. Combs and other traits are only correct some of the time and not enough to call reliable.

The following are feather traits that are exclusive to one sex or the other. This is reliable and easy to see on most  all breeds. There are a few exceptions such as in breeds like silkies whose feathers are more like marabou.

the cape feathers on cockerels are pointed and the barbules of the feather do not have any web at the tips. The barbules are stiff to the touch.

The pullets cape feathers are rounded and always have web. When stroked backwards the barbules stick together and they are soft.

When the saddle feathers start developing the cockerels feathers will have similar traits as the cape feathers. They will be more pointed and free of web. On young birds you may have to lift the wings and look around a bit to see the early developing saddle hackles.

On pullets the saddles will be round, soft and very webby.

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