Chicken Breed Focus - Chantecler

[BantyChooks]

Partridge Chantecler juveniles.

P1240399

• BantyChooks
• Dec 13, 2018

Jenny, Partridge Chantecler pullet.

P1280530

• BantyChooks
• Dec 13, 2018

Java, Partridge Chantecler cockerel

 

[Folly's place]

Beautiful!!!
Mary

 

[Breanne82]

Just got my first two Chantecler roosters. Can anyone tell me what age they mature at. We culled our old rooster because of his aggressive behaviour. He kicked me in the face on my birthday!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! I have zero tolerance for birds showing human aggression, and never want that experience!
My cockerels do some crowing starting at about three months of age, on average, and have looked 'masculine' much sooner. In a flock including adult roosters and hens, like mine, the boys are more restrained (polite!) to the other birds, because they are managed by the adults. Right now none of my cockerels have shown any signs of human aggression, a major cull point here.
My white Chanties originally were from John Blehm, years ago, and then from Cackle, and my hatchlings. None of these cockerels have been human aggressive!
Currently my youngsters are almost four months old, and so far, so good!
It's both genetics and management, I think, although both nice and awful roosters have been raised many different ways, apparently.
Good luck with your new boys!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I have several cockerels hatched in April, and it's time to sort them out. Hope to have photos to share tonight. I'm struggling with making choices this year. My avatar SOLO died in spring thanks to the dog attack from hell, and his yearling replacement son really isn't as large, so maybe a new one can be an improvement.
Fertility issues!!!
Very few eggs hatched from my group in April, with both Solo and his son Junior in the flock. Bad news! I have some chicks from Cackle, and they look pretty good, so maybe one of them, not a home bred cockerel.
Sandhill, I hear, has had very bad results this year with their white Chanties, at least so far.
Question: Are the fluffy rears on my hens the problem? I do feel that the eggs I've cracked were fertilized, but then didn't grow.
Mary

 

[BantyChooks]

I have several cockerels hatched in April, and it's time to sort them out. Hope to have photos to share tonight. I'm struggling with making choices this year. My avatar SOLO died in spring thanks to the dog attack from hell, and his yearling replacement son really isn't as large, so maybe a new one can be an improvement.
Fertility issues!!!
Very few eggs hatched from my group in April, with both Solo and his son Junior in the flock. Bad news! I have some chicks from Cackle, and they look pretty good, so maybe one of them, not a home bred cockerel.
Sandhill, I hear, has had very bad results this year with their white Chanties, at least so far.
Question: Are the fluffy rears on my hens the problem? I do feel that the eggs I've cracked were fertilized, but then didn't grow.
Mary

I'm not sure. I too am having fertility issues with my bantam Buffs, but in this case, I think it's the rooster's fault; he is not very persistent with his breeding behaviour.

 

[Folly's place]

Tonight I'm going to have a 'weigh in' as large size matters to me for the cockerels, and it's hard to just look at them and know. Right now they are mostly on the rangy side, not thick, as some of the pullets are already.
We'll see, and then colored leg bands, and photos tomorrow.
Mary

 

[Acre4Me]

Since this is the Chantecler thread, please let me know if this is a male or female. This bird is 13 weeks old. We purchased straight run from Sandhill Preservation (hatched April 29). We only got 1 Chantecler and since they have small wattles and combs, we are not totally sure the gender. There seems to be some elongated tail feathers, so we suspect male, but never had this breed, so we are needing guidance.

All pics are the same bird.

 

[Folly's place]

Weigh- ins tonight, maybe on the light side because of having to hold the birds on the scale. The biggest cockerel at sixteen weeks of age, six pounds. Does this sound good? I've misplaced the records from last year! A couple of them were closer to five pounds body weight, and one boy flared at me (he's not a keeper!!!).
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

I think it's a cockerel. That comb is pretty red for a young pullet. Also the swirling tail feathers.
Mary