Chicken Newbie....please help!! Updated Pictures!

[ajames08]

**Updated Pictures**
The four pictures of chickens during the day were taken this morning. So after doing some more research and reading the replies so far, they all look like roosters to me. Do y'all agree? Are all four roosters?



I am completely new to chickens and I am trying to figure all this out, so please have some patience with me.

We have 5 chickens, one of which I know for sure is a hen just by the look of her. The other 4 I'm not so sure about. The one in the photo is a Dekalb Amberlink somewhere between 18-20 weeks old. We have 3 of them and they all pretty much look identical, so I'll know if this one is a rooster, they all are...

I apologize for the pictures. We are in kind of a chicken crisis and I just needed some pictures to post asap...dark outside or not...

I am so confused about these chickens. A couple of them make a crowing sound, but it doesn't sound like a traditional rooster crow (maybe they haven't grown into it??). They harass my poor hen, which is a few weeks younger, to the point of where she won't come off the roost. In fact, that is part of my crisis, we let them free range for a while this evening and she got away and refuses to go back into the coop (not that I blame her). The other chicken we have is a Barred Rock, which I think is possibly showing some rooster signs, but the amberlinks always pick on her too. We really don't have a way to separate them for long periods of time, and have just recently tried the pinless peepers although they aren't really helping...

I'm sorry for the long post, I just really need some advice. If this is a rooster, which means we have 4, I know I'll have to do something so any help will be greatly appreciated!!

 

[HEChicken]

Oh my dear, I'm sorry but the pics are all of cockerels. The top one is blurry enough I could say "not 100% sure" but in all honesty, my guess on that one would still be cockerel.

Oh, and

 

[brownboi2012]

they look like boys to me but i agree with HEChicken about the 1st blurry pic.

 

[HEChicken]

Ok, just re-read your post and see that the pics are all of the same bird. I misunderstood when you said they all looked alike and thought the pics were of different birds. In that case that is definitely a rooster and if they all really look the same, then they probably are all boys. If I'm not mistaken, Amber Links are sex-linked birds and can be sexed at hatch based on color. The coloration on this one clearly indicates boy, even if the feathering, comb and wattles did not. The females should be a amber/reddish color while the boys are white.

 

[hdowden]

those pics all show a rooster although if lighting were better could be more positive though but im 100% sure that ones a cockerel/rooster...at this age you should be able to clearly see saddle feathers on the roosters, these are the long slender pointed feathers at the base of the tail

 

[ajames08]

Thanks for the quick replies! I was afraid it was a rooster....

Now one more question...I'm going to have to find new homes for the roosters, which will leave just one lonely hen. Since it's not good to have just one chicken, how should I add more without the new ones ganging up on my current hen? Also, any ideas where to find hens, not young chicks besides craiglist? Thanks for all the help!

 

[HEChicken]

I would start with the "Where am I? Where are you?" section of the forum. There is a thread for most states of the US and a few other countries as well. Introduce yourself and then ask that question. That way you are more likely to find someone in your state and preferably in your neighborhood who would be willing to help you out.

 

[BlueCamas]

Sorry, all are cockerels.

 

[Angie8eggs]

I had my post written, hit submit, and disappeared! I will try again! . I just had a question about your breed, did you order specifically for a Dekalb Amberlink? If so, I don't think you got one. :-/ he looks exactly like my Columbian Rock Cross, and nothing like my Amberlinks. They have a little bit of brown in them, where the Columbian has the black, (course other breeds do to ) Just thought I would throw that out there! Not trying to confuse or anything!

 

[SkylaSilkie]

The Barred Rock if it was a rooster it would have all diffrent colors, and they get HUGE. My friend has a Barred Rock rooster and he is about 20 pounds. Oh and