bummed out, they're nearly all roos

[willowbranchfarm]

Well it kinda crowed last night so I think it's a boy. But there's still hope.

 

[sabianshepherds]

 

[seminolewind]

Boy you have some conflicting signs. I guess I would be going by saddle feathers at this point. And combs, but my hen developed a comb faster than the other breeds I had.

 

[sabianshepherds]

Quote:
Yeah, which is why I didn't really question it until the rather loud crowing two days ago. It's been pouring non stop for weeks, and ever since two went missing the beginning of Sept, no one has free ranged. There was one with a curved feather, so I suspected, but I am just now really seeing the saddle feathers on the other.

The first pict is the one that I found in the nest box laying this morning. She lays after I leave for work, so i thought it was the banty cochin this whole week.

Now I have to decide if I'm going to order chicks now, because I'd like to have them laying this summer, (but I have to order 15) or wait till I can order two or three, but they won't lay till the fall.

 

[kari_dawn]

Quote:
Im so sorry, but I looked at your pics....of the last four, three are roos, but I wanted to point out that you said you purchased these birds at six weeks...they are usually sexable by looking at them at this age...sounds to me like the man who ordered from meyers separated out the ones he thought were roos and sold them off first. The rabbit guy probably did the same thing. Got rid of the ones he suspected to be roos. Sorry

 

[sabianshepherds]

Quote:
Im so sorry, but I looked at your pics....of the last four, three are roos, but I wanted to point out that you said you purchased these birds at six weeks...they are usually sexable by looking at them at this age...sounds to me like the man who ordered from meyers separated out the ones he thought were roos and sold them off first. The rabbit guy probably did the same thing. Got rid of the ones he suspected to be roos. Sorry

Thieves are everywhere, esp in Cleveland...honest people are hard to come by.

I didn't know what to look for at six weeks, not even sure now, because my six week olds, they looked the same as far as I could tell, and I did wind up withe three girls. I lost a few to my dog, so I wish I knew for sure what they were, they were about 16 weeks when I lost them. No saddle feather though.


I got a total of 9 birds from this guy---without going into what happened to the other five, three are girls.

But I think the rabbit guy probably got over on me.

 

[kari_dawn]

What you look for in a young bird can be a bit ambiguous...large reddening combs, thick, long legs, and even behavior can help determine a young roo from a pullet. In barred breeds (which I have no experience with), color difference, and thickness and clarity of barring can also be an indicator.

BYC is my best friend when my chickies turn around five weeks...the amount of experienced people on this forum is fantastic for getting correct sexes on chicks. I just post a picture, and get my answers

Im really sorry you had a crappy experience...how many hens do you have total now?

 

[sabianshepherds]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=537544


I have three BR hens and one Bantam Cochin Hen. That's 4 out of 13

As they say, you live and learn, just trying to learn now.