Akello my new Barred Rock Hen :D

[FeatherMommy]

Got this girl yesterday. She is an amazingly sweet chicken considering she was raised outside with no handling. I have already fallen in love with the big girl. She towers over Sylar but surprisingly they get along very well!
Before her bath

During bath....

After bath in her fancy diaper

And of course I have to throw in a couple pictures of sylar lol

 

[speckledhen]

Congrats on your hen, but she's not a BR, at least not a pure one. BRs have yellow legs. She looks more like a Cuckoo Marans or a cross of the two breeds. How old is this bird? The reason I asked is that I keep thinking I'll see shiny saddle feathers on it. Seems a bit cockerel-like to me at the moment, but that could be just the picture. The only thing I'm sure about is that it isn't a purebred Barred Rock. If it lays an egg, let us know what color it is. Maybe you'll get some darker than normal eggs if there is Cuckoo Marans in there.

 

[FeatherMommy]

I don't really mind if she isnt a BR. The guy I got her from had hundreds of these birds and said they were BRs but if not then that is fine

I was told she is about 3 months old. She was with a lot of her brothers and sisters of her age and many of them you could tell were male right off the bat. This one did NOT look like the males and he confirmed that she was a girl. Please oh please let her be a girl lmao. I can't have another rooster (much less a really large rooster) attacking my poor cockatiel again.....lol

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

I think "She" is a "He." And "She isn't a BR, "She" is a CM.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Sorry, but I agree with the others that said she looks more like a Cuckoo Marans than a BR. Pink legs are a CM trait. BR have the yellow legs. Also, CM's are HUGE. I have a Silver CM roo that stands well above my knee in height, and I'm not short, I'm 5'8! He has to weight around 10 to 12 lbs too. He's no lightweight! I'm raising up some CM pullets now, so I'll see in a few more weeks just how much they look like your girl. Also, I believe a BR would have a larger comb than your girl has. If she is a CM, that would explain her calm personality, they are a nice calm breed. Once they are out of the chick stage that is. As chicks they drive me nuts! But I'm glad I survived my boy's restless teenage period. I used to threaten him daily that I was going to put him in the soup pot, but now he's gentle, calm, and takes such good care of his ladies. I would miss him dearly if anything ever happened to him. Your girl is very pretty though. Good luck with her. I'm surprised you got that diaper on her and that she didn't throw the mother of all tantrums!

 

[chicken_china_mom]

I just took a second look, and that tail is awfully long for a girl. You might have a little roo there. Sorry to burst your bubble. I want it to be a girl cause you want it to be a girl, but...

 

[FeatherMommy]

*giggles* thanks for the info. I love big chickens so if she turns out to be huge then awesome!!! And if she is a he..well then..Looks like I will have to move some bird cages around in my house because while I did find Navi a new home because of his aggression towards my other birds there is no way I could part with this big gal/guy. His/her personality is absolutely wonderful and she thrives on attention. My daughter and I have already fallen head over heels for her. Akello didn't put up a fuss at all when I put the new diaper on. She picked at it for a few minutes but that is it. She didn't struggle or anything while I was doing it. She just stands pretty and clucks her sweet low cluck. It's such a huge contrast to the way my Polish hen acts. Holy tar! Sylar has been getting diapers put on her since she barely had feathers and she STILL fights it to this day when I put it on. Once it's on though she walks around like she doesn't notice it lol

Question though..Obviously sylar is going to be a lot smaller than Akello and if Akello does turn out to be a rooster should I be worried about them mating? Will he hurt her because of the size difference?