Rhode Island Red Thread!

[goosemama]

Bought l0 red colored chicks at the local Tractor Supply on March 9th to supplement a poor hatch I had at the same time from our incubator. No sign in the store to say what breed of chicks - just "pullets". That part seems accurate as I have no Roo's and when I telephoned a young person who answered the phone. he said he "thought" they were Rhode Island Reds. However, on looking at links of RIR's mine have more white at the tips of wings and in tail feathers so perhaps they are production reds instead? However, on a positive note I was amazed to get my first egg from this new batch two weeks ago - that's at 13 weeks old!. I have Barred Rocks, Cream Legbars and Amerecaunas and some as new pullets don't starting laying until 6 months! So if this new group are production reds then I'm all for it! A second one has started to lay this week at age 15 weeks. I've had a small flock of chickens of various breeds for 40 years now and NEVER had any lay this young before.

 

[goosemama]

That is my one gripe about our local Tractor Supply Store. There are usually no signs to tell the breed of chicks or ducklings on sale, only the price, and no qualified "farm" staff who know what they are talking about. I'm sure it is difficult to find staff who know anything about farming life. Two years ago I was delighted to see they had Barred Rock chicks for sale (one of my favorites). I proceeded to pick out 6 pullets and 1 Roo by identifying them from the size of the yellow mark on the top of their head. A young man (high school or college age?) who was packaging them for me as I picked them out, proceeded to tell me the way you sex them is to hold them upside down and those that hold their wings out are hens!!!! I answered him with "wouldn't you hold your wings out if some idiot was holding you by the feet and you were looking at the ground below????" By the way, I ended up with 6 hens and 1 Roo just as I picked out.

 

[zoes881]

What age can chicks go outside to a coop?

 

[slordaz]

depends on a few things:
you have older chickens out there?
Is it really secure?
Temps good for them to be without a light?
Do they have a broody raising them?
your personal set up

Last year we had them out in a secure pen with run at 2 weeks we started taking them out for a bit during the day to acclimatize them and by 3 weeks they were staying out there, but we didn't have older chickens so no issue there.
this year as we had older chickens in the coop, they stayed in the starter secure coop from hatch until they were 2 1/2 months old and big enough to fend for themselves and was fairly easy transition for them as secure coop is insulated was to hot to be keeping them in there and they were starting to break themselves out if we left the door open to let more air in. Broody only stayed with them for 6 weeks showing them what to do out free ranging and watching them, then she returned to the main coop with the flock. One issue we found was had to cage the roosters as they weren't ready and the roosters having lost hens wanted to jump the young pullets.

 

[zoes881]

@slordaz here are some pictures... Peanut is 7 weeks old

and Cashew is 7 weeks old. She is a Rhode Island Red by the way.

. We don't have any other chickens. Also can you tell the sex of them?? Nobody can figure out Cashew. Her comb isn't dark and her wattle isn't appearing. Thanks!

 

[slordaz]

to me looks like 1 of each

 

[zoes881]

@slordaz what do you mean? Do you think Cashew is a roo?

 

[slordaz]

one on right peanut comb is smaller and still yellow, should be a hen, left Cashew bigger comb and wattles turning red already would be roo

 

[zoes881]

So cashew is a hen it looks like?? @slordaz. Sorry I just want some clarification!!

 

[slordaz]

left one is Cashew from what I read and is Roo