speckledegg728
Chirping
For a while now, I've had deep-rooted fears that two of the girls in my flock might not be girls at all, and I was hoping that I could get some more opinions on the matter from people with superior chicken knowledge. I love these chickens dearly, and if they ended being cockerels, I couldn't keep them. (A neighbor has offered to keep them if any of them DO turn out to be boys, but...it just won't be the same, you know?
)
The first in question is my Buckeye, Iroquois. She's the runt of the six, and at first we thought her slow feather development might have been a major sign that she was a cockerel and not a pullet--we read specifically about tail feathers being a big indicator, and the poor thing is only just developing a respectable tail. Now I'm not so sure. My personal opinion is that she's just a slow developer, and I've started her on some extra protein in her diet to nudge her along and hopefully help her catch up with her bigger, glossy, sisters, but I thought her gender was worth discussing just in case. She's my boyfriend's bird, and he loves her to pieces.
Normal picture of her from the side (See my Brahma peeking through from the pen? She thinks something special is going on, when in reality, it's a long and frustrating photo-shoot
)
A better view of the legs.
Top-down view.
View of the comb--or my best attempt. She was SO fed up with me. I hope it's clear enough. The comb is very small and colorless.
Next is my Silver Laced Wyandotte, Bertie. I don't have a ton of reason to suspect her, but her comb is a little worrisome; it's a good deal redder than anyone else's, and has developed a bump. Here are some pictures:
Normal side view of Bertie all tucked up neatly on my knee
Bertie's comb
Top down view
View of her legs
Bonus: this is what happens when your chicken gets fed up with all the pictures. (She then poops on you for good measure.)
I would really appreciate any input on these two lovely chickens! I'm probably just being paranoid, but like I said, I'm a first-timer, and any information you could give would be SO helpful.
Thank you!
The first in question is my Buckeye, Iroquois. She's the runt of the six, and at first we thought her slow feather development might have been a major sign that she was a cockerel and not a pullet--we read specifically about tail feathers being a big indicator, and the poor thing is only just developing a respectable tail. Now I'm not so sure. My personal opinion is that she's just a slow developer, and I've started her on some extra protein in her diet to nudge her along and hopefully help her catch up with her bigger, glossy, sisters, but I thought her gender was worth discussing just in case. She's my boyfriend's bird, and he loves her to pieces.
Normal picture of her from the side (See my Brahma peeking through from the pen? She thinks something special is going on, when in reality, it's a long and frustrating photo-shoot
A better view of the legs.
Top-down view.
View of the comb--or my best attempt. She was SO fed up with me. I hope it's clear enough. The comb is very small and colorless.
Next is my Silver Laced Wyandotte, Bertie. I don't have a ton of reason to suspect her, but her comb is a little worrisome; it's a good deal redder than anyone else's, and has developed a bump. Here are some pictures:
Normal side view of Bertie all tucked up neatly on my knee
Bertie's comb
Top down view
View of her legs
Bonus: this is what happens when your chicken gets fed up with all the pictures. (She then poops on you for good measure.)
I would really appreciate any input on these two lovely chickens! I'm probably just being paranoid, but like I said, I'm a first-timer, and any information you could give would be SO helpful.
Thank you!
@JuliaWesterbeek and @speckledegg728!
