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Are these chickens what I was told? - Page 3

post #21 of 30
7/29/12 at 6:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hdowden View Post

some times the only rooster that will crow is the dominate one and if you removed the crowing one now then one of the other cockerels will start to crow if not all of them


Is this really the only sure-fire way to know?

 

I realize that if/once they are laying I can isolate one for a day or two and if it lays an egg then I'll know for sure that it's a chicken...

 

But do I need to isolate the crowing rooster (have no idea where or how at this point) and then listen every morning to see if anyone else makes noise?

 

So frustrating - I don't remember it being like this when I had chickens as a kid - then again we didn't care about how many chickens and roosters we had and I was just a kid so what did I know... :)

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post #22 of 30
7/29/12 at 7:01pm

all in all im 100% sure those are cockerels due to their coloring, feather development, and comb. cockerels are the only ones that will develop that deep dark red on the wings like that. they will also have 2 long curved tail feathers called sickle feathers, then theres the saddles at the base of the tail which on a cockerel will be long slender and pointed and the hackles (neck feathers) will be the same way on a cockerel. 

owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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post #23 of 30
7/29/12 at 7:04pm

5243950  

 

he's your best example of what feathers to look for as he has his rooster feathers (his saddles should get longer)

owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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post #24 of 30
7/29/12 at 7:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hdowden View Post

all in all im 100% sure those are cockerels due to their coloring, feather development, and comb. cockerels are the only ones that will develop that deep dark red on the wings like that. they will also have 2 long curved tail feathers called sickle feathers, then theres the saddles at the base of the tail which on a cockerel will be long slender and pointed and the hackles (neck feathers) will be the same way on a cockerel. 

 

Most of us learned the hard way about TOO many roosters ! In my first order of straight run chicks, there were 6 females out of 26. I learned how to process and eat roosters at that point. after all in the farms days that is exactly what happened.

 

But I really wanted to comment on "top dog"  or main rooster. If you have a flock with only hens, you will see that the top hen will take on the role of top rooster. In a mixed flock, the top rooster will be in charge of safety and maintainting order. If you only have a few hen it is not so good to have more than one male. The best ratio is one male to ten hens. As soon as they are mature, you may want to make or purchase some cloth saddles for the girls or they will become bald. And last of all if you keep the white cockerel as your top male and if he does have some Leghorn in his mix, this may in the long run help with egg production because leghorns were raised as "production" birds. But in general easter eggers are good layers anyway. I really like my easter eggers and several other mixed breeds. My Marans easter eggers are good producers of olive eggs.

 

teach619    Very nice flock to start out with.  Too bad about all of the males but then that aspect of raising a flock is not unusual.   good luck !

Say what you mean, mean what you say, but do not say it meanly.

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Say what you mean, mean what you say, but do not say it meanly.

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post #25 of 30
7/29/12 at 7:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by flower View Post

Most of us learned the hard way about TOO many roosters ! In my first order of straight run chicks, there were 6 females out of 26. I learned how to process and eat roosters at that point. after all in the farms days that is exactly what happened.

But I really wanted to comment on "top dog"  or main rooster. If you have a flock with only hens, you will see that the top hen will take on the role of top rooster. In a mixed flock, the top rooster will be in charge of safety and maintainting order. If you only have a few hen it is not so good to have more than one male. The best ratio is one male to ten hens. As soon as they are mature, you may want to make or purchase some cloth saddles for the girls or they will become bald. And last of all if you keep the white cockerel as your top male and if he does have some Leghorn in his mix, this may in the long run help with egg production because leghorns were raised as "production" birds. But in general easter eggers are good layers anyway. I really like my easter eggers and several other mixed breeds. My Marans easter eggers are good producers of olive eggs.

teach619    Very nice flock to start out with.  Too bad about all of the males but then that aspect of raising a flock is not unusual.   good luck !

Thank you....

as soon as you all started saying I had more roosters than just the white guy, I knew I would be getting rid of them. I already posted the 5 birds on craigslist as I'm not sure where else to sell them. I think I am going to keep the big white one since he seems the most rooster-ish to me smile.png hopefully I can find someone(s) to buy the other 5 guys - if they eat them that is fine - just don't tell me smile.png

If anyone thinks I should be keeping a different rooster - they better tell me soon just in case I do find buyers smile.png I may try to separate the rooster for a day just to see if anyone else crows or something.,... hmm.png
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post #26 of 30
7/29/12 at 9:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hdowden View Post

some times the only rooster that will crow is the dominate one and if you removed the crowing one now then one of the other cockerels will start to crow if not all of them

I have not found this to be true.  Maybe it is the breeds I raise?  Ameraucana, Marans, Andalusians.  I had a pen of 15- 4 month old cockerels...every one of them crowed their heads off.  Right next door separated only by chicken wire was 10 week old cockerels crowing their baby heads off.  lol...   I am sure birds are different though.  Mine are just very noisy.  lau.gif

 

“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”  ~ Buddha

 

My coop building thread... http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/613051/my-new-breeding-pens-progress-pics

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“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”  ~ Buddha

 

My coop building thread... http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/613051/my-new-breeding-pens-progress-pics

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post #27 of 30
7/29/12 at 9:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christie Rhae View Post

I have not found this to be true.  Maybe it is the breeds I raise?  Ameraucana, Marans, Andalusians.  I had a pen of 15- 4 month old cockerels...every one of them crowed their heads off.  Right next door separated only by chicken wire was 10 week old cockerels crowing their baby heads off.  lol...   I am sure birds are different though.  Mine are just very noisy.  lau.gif

out of 5 cockerels only 1 crows, now if they are out and away from each other then 2-3 of them crow. i had 3 cockerels housed together and only 2 crowed and the 3rd was a known crower (crowed in the house at 6 in the morning) till i put him in with my other 2 then i never heard him again until they were separated  

owner of Itty Bitty Dowden Family Farm: https://www.facebook.com/#!/IttyBittyDowdenFamilyFarm

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post #28 of 30
7/29/12 at 10:01pm

Like others, I see a lot of easter eggers and most are male.  :(  The hens will likely have a green or blue egg.

Liz, wife, mom to 4 boys and  "food lady" to a mix of mostly Ameraucanas & EE's with a few oddball breeds for fun. :) 

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Liz, wife, mom to 4 boys and  "food lady" to a mix of mostly Ameraucanas & EE's with a few oddball breeds for fun. :) 

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post #29 of 30
7/30/12 at 7:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indigosands View Post

Like others, I see a lot of easter eggers and most are male.  :(  The hens will likely have a green or blue egg.


The only good news out of all of this - is that the few eggs I do get will be green or blue. 

 

Someone claims he's interested in one or two of the males (the black and black and white).  BUT it was a craigslist email and I'm sure everyone knows how that goes. 

 

If anyone knows another way to find a buyer for the guys in the N. Va area - I'm open to ideas.  The best case scenario at this point is if I can sell the boys before the fair and then buy some new girls at the fair...  That's all dependent on the boys getting new homes.

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post #30 of 30
7/30/12 at 11:20am
If the feed store where you buy animal feed has a bulletin board, post there ! And sometimes the grocery store has a bulletin board.

Say what you mean, mean what you say, but do not say it meanly.

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Say what you mean, mean what you say, but do not say it meanly.

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