so what are these chicks? I'm guessing some type of dinosaur

[boats317]

They are 3 weeks old. Is it safe to assume rooster? Barred rock is my guess.
Thanks

 

[Kelsie2290]

X2 on them being little roos with that comb at three weeks being Barred Rock or BR mixes if they have yellow feet, either that or your velociraptors have more feathers than the ones in Jurassic Park did.

 

[boats317]

HAHA that's exactly what dino I was thinking of! We incubated and hatched them and they are our first babies. My uncle gave us a dozen, 8 were fertile, 6 hatched but 1 did nt make it. These are the monsters that are still doing great. And they very well could be mixes.
Thanks!

 

[LTygress]

I'm with Kelsie. They are definitely barred rocks, and they are definitely roos. Although that comb at three weeks is pretty amazing! I've only had one chicken get a comb that early, and he also tried to crow at just 4 weeks. It was the most god-awful sound you have ever heard! If I hadn't been holding my cat when he did it, I would think that someone had just stepped on the cat!

 

[boats317]

That was my next question, when would/could I expect some crazy sounding crow? These will be our first roosters. If they are in fact barred rock roos, how "typically" are they around kids?
Thanks!

 

[LTygress]

Typically around 4-5 months. But it could be sooner if they feel up to it. The really young crowing is few and far between. I actually haven't heard that one chick since then, and it has been roughly a month.

 

[donrae]

That was my next question, when would/could I expect some crazy sounding crow? These will be our first roosters. If they are in fact barred rock roos, how "typically" are they around kids?
Thanks!

Roosters in general really aren't a good idea around kids, especially less than 10years old or so. They'll be fine for the first 5ish months, then the hormones will kick in. Kids are little, noisy, fast and unpredictable and make roosters nervous, and nervous roosters tend to attack first and ask questions later. A young child/toddler is just the perfect size to get spurred in the face when that rooster goes to flog. Hens make decent pets, roosters need to be treated as livestock and most kids aren't capable of making that distinction. I know you hatched them and are probably attached, but my advice is to rehome them as soon as possible. Keep hens for a while, get used to birds and then decide if you want to step up to a rooster. Or, keep the roosters and plan to butcher them when they hit adolescence, around 16-20 weeks.

 

[boats317]

Thanks for the info, I already started asking around for a rehome knowing I wouldn't want 2 roos for sure, 1 i would have considered. No takers yet, so more then likely they will be meat for us. I have 2 kids that are 6 and 9 yr old that love our 8 month old hens and I don't want roosters ruining or frightening them from chickens. This is still a new experience for all of us "we just got our first ever eggs this week". So I want to make sure we do what's right for the whole family...
But it will still be cool to have some roosters for a little while!
Thanks
Brian

 

[boats317]

So these guys are now about a month old and fighting. What is my best option here? Separating them isn't really an option. Will they keep it up at this age? Or work it out? What age is a good time to get them ready for the pot? Are they gonna go after the hens?
Thanks

 

[PineShavings]

I have Black Sex Links that are 2-3 weeks old that look very very similar to those black ones, but they're combs are smaller so I'll agree with the others that they are Barred Rocks.