Can you help identify my chickens?

[srslychickning]

Not sure if someone answered your question already about how to tell cockerel (I think they aren't technically roosters until they are a year old) or pullet (again, if I'm not mistaken, they are hens after a year old). You are correct that tail feathers, at that age, are a very helpful indicator. They start to get longer and might curve a bit, depending on breed. They tend to have more colorful characteristics as well. Also, cockerels tend to have a colored band over their shoulders, whereas pullets tend to have a relatively uniform body section (I am speaking in general terms here, there can be exceptions from what I've learned). Also, hackle and sickle feathers are a helpful indicator. You can see, in your photos, that the cockerels have a shawl of pointy feathers coming down and off their necks, versus rounded feathers you would see on a pullet. Those are called hackles, I think (I always get this mixed up). Then, right at the base of their tail, there is a similar swath of pointy feathers shaped like the hackles - those are sickle feathers (I hope I am getting this right and not backwards - people out there, correct me if I'm wrong!). At this age, all of these things are good indicators.

Redder combs and bigger waddles are sometimes good indicators, as are bright yellow, thicker legs compared to more muted, thinner legs, but I would caution against making any firm judgments based on these traits, they aren't always totally reliable. If anyone reading this finds mistakes in my summary above, please correct me so we're all getting good info.

Keep reading posts on here and you will learn tons! And congrats on the new chickens!

 

[akcountrygrrl]

Not sure if someone answered your question already about how to tell cockerel (I think they aren't technically roosters until they are a year old) or pullet (again, if I'm not mistaken, they are hens after a year old). You are correct that tail feathers, at that age, are a very helpful indicator. They start to get longer and might curve a bit, depending on breed. They tend to have more colorful characteristics as well. Also, cockerels tend to have a colored band over their shoulders, whereas pullets tend to have a relatively uniform body section (I am speaking in general terms here, there can be exceptions from what I've learned). Also, hackle and sickle feathers are a helpful indicator. You can see, in your photos, that the cockerels have a shawl of pointy feathers coming down and off their necks, versus rounded feathers you would see on a pullet. Those are called hackles, I think (I always get this mixed up). Then, right at the base of their tail, there is a similar swath of pointy feathers shaped like the hackles - those are sickle feathers (I hope I am getting this right and not backwards - people out there, correct me if I'm wrong!). At this age, all of these things are good indicators.

Redder combs and bigger waddles are sometimes good indicators, as are bright yellow, thicker legs compared to more muted, thinner legs, but I would caution against making any firm judgments based on these traits, they aren't always totally reliable. If anyone reading this finds mistakes in my summary above, please correct me so we're all getting good info.

Keep reading posts on here and you will learn tons! And congrats on the new chickens!

You were close... :-D Yes, the pointed neck feathers are called hackles. The long pointy feathers across the lower back in front of the tail are called saddle feathers. Sickle feathers are found in the tail.

Coloration plays a big part in determining the sex of cockerels in your birds. The hen (mama) looks to me more like a wheaten coloration. The black/white cockerel looks similar to a silver duckwing coloration. In silver duckwing varieties, only the males will be colored like that. The females are more of a uniform grey color on the body with the white hackles. Your blue/red boys look similar to blue wheaten in color. Again, very distinct color difference between males and females.

 

[justacouplemorechicks]

Well, whatever they are.... they are gorgeous birds!!!!
I always end up with way more roos than hens too!! But I get attached to them so they end up sticking around !!

 

[bentleyfarm]

THANKS EVERYONE! GREAT INFORMATION! The explanations surely fit the birds I have and I see now why they are identified as 3 roos, one pullet and momma. The pullet is actually very quiet. Only one roo crows.. and the other are always chasing eachother and pecking.. but their colors are georgous.

Like I mentioned earlier, we had 2 Buff Brahams and 2 Ameraucanas but they got killed by a fox or racoon so we made sure this new coop is secure. I already see digging marks around it. I don't know if my dogs did that, but they are always digging in the open space we have.. I think it was the "bad guys" trying to get in... but the chicken wire wraps all the way around so they're out of luck.

The baby chicks arrived yesterday at the local feed store. It's taking every ounce of my strength not to go and get some babys. I really liked the ones I had before that got killed. but also looking at the Buff Orpington and the Rhode Island Red. Those arrived there today along with the Ameraucanas. I know some are brown egg layers and others are green. As one of the replies mentioned, I should read the posts and would learn alot. I got a great book called "chick days." I love it.. not the typical boring text book.. but lots of fun pictures and songs, it's a chronology of their 3 chickens and tells ya what to expect before getting them, day one, two, three.. up to 6 months.. It's great and fun!

Well, thanks everyone for the posts. Now I'm informed and am a little disappointed because although they are beautiful, I wanted more egg layers and it seems that if they are welsummers, which all the photos of them indicate, then they are more broody than egg laying. and not very nice to other roommates... so I may have to make a separate coop for them. We'll see.

 

[hdowden]

they look like game mixes as i see feathers on at least one of the cockerels legs.

as for your Ameraucanas those were EE's instead if they came from a feed store or hatchery. only way to get true Ameraucanas is to order them from an actual breeder which will cost quite a bit of money as a dozen eggs can run you around $40.

this might help with cockerel feathers:




hens will not have those feathers pictured above