Cockerel or pullets? Lavender Orpington

[sawilliams]

Brown-ish. Personally becuase my flock was so snall I had grouped them all into 2 groups brown and green becuse I only have 2 hens that i can tell by thier egg color the rest I have to keep count of or physically check for laying.

 

[sawilliams]

But honestly I wasnt fully sure what color to expect. I couldn't remember what color egg the chick hatched from if it was a tan or a brown. But i was pretty sure it wasn't a cream.

Did all Orpington lay a tan eggs?

 

[sawilliams]

So thanks for everyones help.

Just to update: I think i have the proof I need not 100% but let's say 95%. I have 1 brown layer (true brown) and normally she only lays 1-2 eggs/days in a row. She molting now so I expect fewer but i have gotten 3, one each the past 3 days or 1 2 days ago forgot to collect last night and 2 today. Mildred only lays 3 days in a row once in a while and only during peak of season, and again molting.... but then again since I didn't collect eggs yesterday I haven't gotten 2 brown eggs in the same day officially to say that i now do have 2 brown layers.

Oh and on top of that I keep my eggs in 2 1/2 dozen flats (30eggs) the first flat in the fridge has only 2 brown eggs, considering 9-10 (one still brooding) hens laying end of season 5-6 eggs a day that roughly 5-6day of eggs. 2 brown eggs in 1 week. The current flat just filled has 5 brown eggs with a 6th on the side. With the eggs spaced about 4-6 eggs apart meaning 6 brown eggs layed in 5-6 days eight would be impossibly for Mildred being 2 years old and having never laid a straight week or more then 2-3 days for that matter.

Do either my chicken is laying more eggs or i have my confirmation that Roosty is infact a female...

 

[WVduckchick]

Can't say that i follow your math and reasoning, but I'm glad you are pretty sure now.

Got any recent pics of her?

 

[sawilliams]

Can't say that i follow your math and reasoning, but I'm glad you are pretty sure now.

Got any recent pics of her?

Basicly I'm getting way more Brown eggs than i should be even at peak laying. So unless my over 2 year old hen has suddenly decided to more then double her normal production while starting to molt? I finally have to agree with what everyone else had been saying all alone, Roosty is a hen.

 

[sawilliams]

Honestly, I'm still waiting to see if i can catch Roosty in the nesting box, or get 2 brown eggs on the same day that would be 100% proof in my book. The brown eggs are so close in color i can't say for sure if they are from the same hen or different hens

 

[sawilliams]

So here's a head shot of my younger lavender Orpington, the one we hatched, he's about 7 weeks old in this picture. And i know he's not very bright here but its an evening picture and in the daylight his waddles are bright red. anyways he's a rooster i have no doubt about it even his temperment says rooster. I watch him and the pullets play and for a minute he's fine then he stands up tall furrals his feathers up and says "hey I'm in charge" which is really funny to watch.

Still waiting to find Roosty in the nests though. I didn't get any brown eggs Sunday, and so far 1 yesterday and 1 today. I'm not sure if Mildred has stopped laying yet to molt or if she's still giving me one here and there

 

[sawilliams]

So here's a few more images I took off roosty tonight. If I'm counting right he(she) is about 18-19 weeks. I've been referring it it as my transgender chicken (sorry if that offends anyone but it's the easiest way to explain it sometimes). Anyways comb and waddles are still small in my opinion, but still seem very red to me. Feathering still looks about the same except there are some darker feathers near the head and down the neck that are new, but still look rounded to me. And I don't think you can see it in any of these pictures but some almost curlly like tail feathers one the sides. Also I got another shot of the spur bottons, maybe a touch bigger but no significant change there either. Don't mind the extra dark black on her legs we did a petroleum jelly treatment in event (chicks included) for leg mites on some of the older girls

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Still looks like a pullet to me. I have 2 pullets and one has broken feathers like yours has on her back and tail. I think I read something about some having bad feather structure so they look more ratty.

 

[sawilliams]

Still looks like a pullet to me. I have 2 pullets and one has broken feathers like yours has on her back and tail. I think I read something about some having bad feather structure so they look more ratty.

Broken feathers? I'm not seeing it, but then again I wouldn't suspect anything less the other hens do peck him a little, he's even lower then the chicks right now, but it's never bad and at this piont he knows which ones to keep his distance from. In the past they have always stopped being pecky towards other pullets once they come of age. Also he, she? It cane to us with no tail feathers at 10-11 weeks. I don't know if that's normal or if there was pecking at the other home too, but my 8ish week chick has no tail feathers at the moment so it might be the breed