2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

Just gonna show you my buff orp cockerel at 4 weeks
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And 6 weeks
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Roo looks more like yours only Roo's comb is yellow, I read some old BYC forum post earlier and many are saying Buff's are the hardest to sex as chicks because a female can look like a male for a while and vice versa, so I just hope Roo is one of them

 

[CannedMonster]

Firstly, Oliver and Silver are so beautiful and Oliver is so handsome
Secondly, I see what you mean about the wattles and colour, with Roo its a bit confusing because the wattle development is a lot smaller than Oliver's and Roo's comb is still yellow - I found some pictures of a Buff Op online from a person who has documented their Buff's growth, at 6wks it had pinkish wattle development very much like Roo's but that persons Buff turn out to be a hen! I know I'm probably grabbing at straws but as wonderful it would be if I get to keep my birds, it would be even more so if I got to keep Roo too.
These are the two photos we sent to my friend, I'd like to know what you think although I'm not sure if they are clear enough to see the wattle development. I'm going to see if I can get a picture underside of Roo's beak/neck tomorrow (its night here and they're put away and asleep now) if I manage to I'll post the pic to you tomorrow to see what you think.
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Well thank you
Poor Ollie needs to grow some tail feathers lol.
He has still has none.
Silver will let me hold her but prefers to try pecking me first. She tries to dominate me like the other chicks.
She’s not as friendly as Ivy, my other SPR.
After seeing those photos I’m convinced Roo is a pullet.
No doubt about it.
The comb would be developing and red/pink like Oliver’s if she were male.
Congratulations!

 

[CannedMonster]

I'm so glad you approve, makes me feel much better about my choice
I'm amazed at how cheap it is, just because it isn't painted but there are loads of reviews majority of which are good and the few that weren't so good were mainly because they had to paint it and also that the nest boxes are quite small but if I find that to be the case I'll take out the middle and make it into one big one if needs be. It costs only £99.00 and no delivery fee - I think thats about $130.
Thanks for giving me the heads up about filling the tray too much - I didn't think of that and would probably of done so lol.
I don't know if the roost bars come out but I'm thinking I could saw some off if needs be - how will I know if they are too close together?

They should be about 10-12 inches apart and about 8-10 inches from the wall.
That’s just to give them “elbow” room and so their tails won’t rub against the wall and become raggedy.
You don’t necessarily have to remove the extra ones because they’ll use whichever ones they want but it’s up to you.

 

[CannedMonster]

Speaking of which, has her wound completely healed now?

I keep forgetting to check but her behavior is normal and she’s laying so I’m not worried at all.
I just started a new job and have been working evenings for the last 3 nights and tonight so DH has been putting everyone to bed.
I’ll try to check her tomorrow night since I’m off of work.

 

[CannedMonster]

Roo looks more like yours only Roo's comb is yellow, I read some old BYC forum post earlier and many are saying Buff's are the hardest to sex as chicks because a female can look like a male for a while and vice versa, so I just hope Roo is one of them

Anna, stop worrying lol.
Roo is female!
I’m absolutely positive.
If she were male the comb would be large and pink like the photo of that cockerel.
Males mature much faster.
The comb starts getting bigger and pink at two weeks.
Because Roo’s comb is still yellow at 6 weeks it’s a dead giveaway that she’s female.
I don’t think any breed that has a straight comb is hard to sex at all.

It’s only difficult when you don’t have chicks of both sexes to compare to.
I have raised six cockerels, alongside pullets, from day old chicks now and they were all straight combed breeds except for Silkie.
I could tell they were male by 2 weeks old.
Silkies are very difficult to sex and I didn’t know until he was about 5 months old.
I’m telling you Roo is a pullet.
Trust me!

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Well thank you
Poor Ollie needs to grow some tail feathers lol.
He has still has none.
Silver will let me hold her but prefers to try pecking me first. She tries to dominate me like the other chicks.
She’s not as friendly as Ivy, my other SPR.
After seeing those photos I’m convinced Roo is a pullet.
No doubt about it.
The comb would be developing and red/pink like Oliver’s if she were male.
Congratulations!

I really hope so - I read some old BYC earlier today and people are saying Buff's are the hardest to sex as chicks because sometimes female chicks will have red comb and wattles and the boys yellow combs etc

 

[CannedMonster]

I really hope so - I read some old BYC earlier today and people are saying Buff's are the hardest to sex as chicks because sometimes female chicks will have red comb and wattles and the boys yellow combs etc

Whoever said that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
It all depends on the age of the bird.
At 6 weeks no pullet will have red comb or wattles.
At about 4 1/2 to 5 months, yes.
You have to realize that there are sometimes people on the forum who like to troll others and also there’s very young people who want to help but don’t have any experience.
You have to weed through the bull crap and find the legitimate information but that’s anywhere on the internet.
As I mentioned in my other post, I’ve raised quite a few cockerels now so I feel completely confident in my assessment of Roo.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

I keep forgetting to check but her behavior is normal and she’s laying so I’m not worried at all.
I just started a new job and have been working evenings for the last 3 nights and tonight so DH has been putting everyone to bed.
I’ll try to check her tomorrow night since I’m off of work.

Congrats on the new job
Great news that Agatha's behaviour is back to normal and her laying is always a good sign. - I wouldn't be surprised if you find her wound is gone completely

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Anna, stop worrying lol.
Roo is female!
I’m absolutely positive.
If she were male the comb would be large and pink like the photo of that cockerel.
Males mature much faster.
The comb starts getting bigger and pink at two weeks.
Because Roo’s comb is still yellow at 6 weeks it’s a dead giveaway that she’s female.
I don’t think any breed that has a straight comb is hard to sex at all.

It’s only difficult when you don’t have chicks of both sexes to compare to.
I have raised six cockerels, alongside pullets, from day old chicks now and they were all straight combed breeds except for Silkie.
I could tell they were male by 2 weeks old.
Silkies are very difficult to sex and I didn’t know until he was about 5 months old.
I’m telling you Roo is a pullet.
Trust me!

I trust you implicitly, which is why I always come to you with my worries, queries and questions, and I feel way more hopeful now you've said you believe Roo to be a girl - it is only that I have read and seen so many videos people have posted about their thinking they had Buff pullets because the roosters were so slow in losing their yellow and others who thought they had roosters because at a few weeks old their pullets had bright red combs and wattles.
My friend said to wait another week then send him more pictures, the pictures I send him next week, I will post to you also because I always want to know your views and opinion

 

[Anna Ranieri]

Whoever said that doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
It all depends on the age of the bird.
At 6 weeks no pullet will have red comb or wattles.
At about 4 1/2 to 5 months, yes.
You have to realize that there are sometimes people on the forum who like to troll others and also there’s very young people who want to help but don’t have any experience.
You have to weed through the bull crap and find the legitimate information but that’s anywhere on the internet.
As I mentioned in my other post, I’ve raised quite a few cockerels now so I feel completely confident in my assessment of Roo.

Thank you
My biggest worry has been that Roo has wattle development which I first noticed a couple of weeks ago, however, the difference I noticed between Roo and the pictures of Oliver is that Roo's wattles are tiny and only slightly pinkish whereas Oliver's are larger and a deeper red.
I trust your judgement and thank you