Roo or NOT Part II

[GrassyNole]

So after my last post and realizing the hatchery sent over 50% roos, I had to start over as they sent 10 more chicks. I now have 9 chickens that are almost 3 months old. I only have space for 4 chickens and must rehome the remaining. I want to 10000% ensure I have 4 hens this go around!! I would appreciate the help. I will post a few pics but for now.... The fist being one chicken that I think for sure is a dude.

More pics below!

 

[NatJ]

almost 3 months old....I think for sure is a dude.

If that chicken is less than 3 months old, I agree it is most likely male.

 

[nuthatched]

If that bird is 12 weeks or under, it's very likely a cockerel. That comb and wattles are too red for a pullet.

 

[GrassyNole]

So, sound like he has to go.

When picking out my 4, is there anything in particular I should look for? Outside of not being a dude!! LOL. Not sure if I should be picky. At this rate, these are going to be the most expensive eggs in the world!!. Joking aside, if I pick 4 and post some pics for you guys to help ensure hens, is there a good way to mark those 4 as I work on rehoming the rest? Nail polish okay?

Thanks a lot everyone!!

 

[GrassyNole]

Just went and pulled order so I could be accurate. They are a bit older than thought. They are 96 days old.

 

[nuthatched]

Just went and pulled order so I could be accurate. They are a bit older than thought. They are 96 days old.

So 13ish weeks? Still a dude

 

[NatJ]

So 13ish weeks? Still a dude

I agree.

 

[NatJ]

if I pick 4 and post some pics for you guys to help ensure hens, is there a good way to mark those 4 as I work on rehoming the rest? Nail polish okay?

There are quite a few ways to mark chickens.

Yes, nail polish can work.

Or you can put plastic zip ties around one leg of each bird (leave it loose enough to not squish the leg, and cut off the loose end so they cannot pull it tighter.)

Or you can buy legbands (same idea as the zip ties, but officially made for the purpose.)

Or you can use food coloring or ink on some feathers (works well on light-colored chickens, not so well on dark ones.)

I have also marked chickens by cutting the ends off some feathers: either the flight feathers of the wings, or the long feathers of the tail. Either way, the next time the chicken molts, those feathers fall out and are replaced with uncut new feathers. Cutting the ends off the tail feathers is convenient if you want to recognize them at a distance but I think it looks a bit ugly, while cutting the flight feathers on a wing means the chicken does not look any different while walking around on the ground, but you have to grab the chicken and unfold a wing to see if it was marked.

Other methods include punching holes in the toe webs, or applying wingbands that go through the skin and stay in place permanently. I have never been tempted to try either of those, but I know they work for some people.

 

[GrassyNole]

UGH. I also started 2nd guessing everything after looking over my photos. At what age would you say its easy to confidently say hen or not? These chickens don't have enough space for 9 of them in my current run and I cannot expand. At the same time I don't want to rehome 5 just to find out some of the ones I keep turn out to be roos.

 

[NatJ]

At what age would you say its easy to confidently say hen or not?

Yours are already at the age when I would expect it to be easy

Some chickens mature at different rates. The ones who follow the usual pattern are fairly easy, but the ones at either extreme are hard. Fast-maturing females can be mis-identified as males, and slow-maturing males can be mis-identified as females. Unfortunately, when you have a bunch that are all the same kind, they can all be the same kind of exception (all of them being females that mature fast, or all of them being males that mature slowly.)

Laying an egg is a definite sign of a female.

Definite signs of a male would be crowing, or grow slender pointy saddle feathers (they grow on the back, and eventually get long enough to hand down on each side of the tail.)

If you are able to rehome the one in the first post (pretty obviously male), maybe you can check regularly with the person who gets him? When he grows obvious male saddle feathers, there is a good chance that all other males from this batch will have them too, and that any without those feathers will be female.

These chickens don't have enough space for 9 of them in my current run and I cannot expand. At the same time I don't want to rehome 5 just to find out some of the ones I keep turn out to be roos.

Yes, that is a tough situation.

You could rehome the most obvious males. That will make a bit more space for the rest while you figure them out.

You could rehome the 5 with the biggest & reddest combs, and keep the 4 with the smallest combs. If they are not female, neither are the ones who have even bigger/redder combs.

Or maybe pick one with a middle-sized comb and get a DNA sex test on it. Once you know for sure the gender of one bird, you know half of the others too (tested male means any with bigger/redder combs are also males, or tested female means any with smaller/paler combs are also females.) https://iqbirdtesting.com/