Had a couple questions, this is my first time

mbford2711

Hatching
5 Years
Apr 23, 2014
7
1
9



Okay, so these pics are the first day I got them home. They aren't still in the box, I have them all set up in a metal wash tub with the proper bedding and food and water and heat lamp. We got them at tractor supply and they told me that all the yellow ones were hens, now 5 of 6 of the yellow ones are strutting around with their mouths open and the 1 acts very gentle and just lays in your hand so I'm PRETTY SURE that 5 of them are roosters...again...this is my first time so can someone tell me how to tell if they are roosters or hens??
Also, the little brown ones I got are all more laid back. They are exactly 1 week old today. All of the baby chicks seem happy and healthy, but the little brown ones still seems to be the same size as when I bought them. The yellow ones are getting huge, they won't hardly fit in your hands anymore. I'm not sure if this is because of the breed or because 5 out of 6 of the yellow ones are roosters. If someone could please help me out I would greatly appreciate it. The yellow one that I believe to be a hen is growing more than the brown ones, but less than the other 5. Also, the 5 big yellow ones feet are getting really thick. Way bigger than all the others.
 
I'm curious. Are some of these bantams? That would explain why some are smaller. You probably have a mix of standard size and some bantams. Do you know the breeds?
 
It is too early to tell how old they are, especially with those pictures. We would need separate shots of the chicks to tell what they are. Although, thick legs are a rooster sign. However, I am a bit suspicious of the 5 yellow ones perhaps being meat birds... 1 week old and not fitting in your hand? Big thick legs? I don't know.... Anybody else think this? Some more recent pictures especially of the big yellow ones would be great.

If they are just walking around with their mouths open, I would think they are to hot, it sounds like they are panting. Are they trying to get away from the heat lamp? Are they holding their wings out from their sides?
 
Hi and welcome to BYC!
At this age (unless they are an auto sexing breed or a sex-link) the only way to determine the gender is by vent sexing, a very hard process even for experienced chicken owners.
 
Yes, the sign said Bantam varieties on the little brown ones. I don't think they did on the yellow ones. The big yellow ones won't let me hold them now to get pictures so I tried to get some of them in their home. Hopefully you can tell.

This is one of the small brown ones. The brown ones have different designs, most are very friendly. Not growing very quickly.


The one in the bowl is the one I think is the hen, you can look at the yellow ones and see how much bigger they are. Their feet are huge.


They don't seem to be too hot. They stay right under the heat lamp most of the time and they strut around and the little ones don't.
 
They got me stumped! Sorry! The one thing I can tell is the first one looks like a Golden Sebright...pretty birds! I got my first bantams about 2 months ago and they don't seem to be growing much at all either...I'm sure it has to do with the fact that I have some standard chickens who grow like weeds!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom