Buff Orpington Rooster? Please Help!!

[chickenlover89]

My roosters might be a little higher in testosterone here, but they start mating as early as 14 weeks! Just caught one the other day. And one rooster for 5 hens is probably not a good ratio. I understand the recommended ratio is 1 rooster for 10 hens. I would agree. I had 9 hens in one coop/run, and two roosters was too much. The younger (more aggressive one) is currently separated from the rest to give the poor overworked, barebacked hens a break and a chance to grow their feathers back before winter.

okay thank you!

 

[chickenlover89]

If my buff orpington is a rooster, would he be getting hackle and saddle feathers yet, or should i wait for a moult to start looking for them?

 

[ramirezframing]

around 3 months you should start really seeing them

 

[chickenlover89]

ok thank you

 

[chickenlover89]

will he be crowing by then?

 

[chickenlover89]

here "she" is at 5 wks:

 

[chickenlover89]

here's 6 weeks:

 

[DomesticDiva12]

Hmmm, I have one buff orp rooster and three hens. At 6 weeks that chick looks more like my hens. Could be wrong but I knew the difference between my rooster and hens early on (feather sexing was right on for me, I did it at 2-3 days old though, at this point it wouldn't work). My rooster had a different body shape and was pretty red by 6 weeks. He started crowing around 16-17 weeks and he crows starting about 5am and on and off throughout the day. We live on just under 2 acres and my neighbors do say they can hear him, but they also say it doesn't bother them. I concur with the better than a yippy dog comparison He's never actually woken me up but if I am up about 5am I can hear him.

 

[chickenlover89]

Hmmm, I have one buff orp rooster and three hens. At 6 weeks that chick looks more like my hens. Could be wrong but I knew the difference between my rooster and hens early on (feather sexing was right on for me, I did it at 2-3 days old though, at this point it wouldn't work). My rooster had a different body shape and was pretty red by 6 weeks. He started crowing around 16-17 weeks and he crows starting about 5am and on and off throughout the day. We live on just under 2 acres and my neighbors do say they can hear him, but they also say it doesn't bother them. I concur with the better than a yippy dog comparison He's never actually woken me up but if I am up about 5am I can hear him.

really! yay! thanks!

i hope so much he/she is a pullet!!

 

[hdowden]

looks like a pullet. if you start to see that the chick is becoming 2 toned then it is a cockerel