Consolidated Kansas

[FarmerBlake]

Okay people. Does this look like a rooster comb. I have the worst luck when it comes to getting chicks that aren't hens. In Shawnee, we aren't supposed to have them. Out of my 6 original chicks, 3 were roosters. Go figure!

It's about 4 to 5 weeks old. My 3 week old has the smallest of combs that shows no red whatsoever. This one was bought at the different feed store than mine. Since it was sold as a pullet, not going to rush to get rid of it. Will wait and see if it lays eggs or crows and then figure out what to do.

The other chick that I got with this one also has a larger comb than my little Miss Pip, but not as red as this one. Two roos? Two hens? One of each?

 

[chicken danz]

Look at the center of the back and the tail. If the back is barer and not feathered in as much as the other one it is probably a roo. Also if the other chick has a more developed tail than this one again it is probably a roo. Combs are a really difficult way to tell on some breeds. I have some Orpingtons with monster combs as babies but they end up being smaller when they age. Red is a good indicator of a roo but not always.

 

[FarmerBlake]

Dani will take mine if it's a roo. Then I can just walk down and visit it. That would be pretty cool! I will check feathers tomorrow. Sure wish Shawnee would let us keep a rooster but maybe in time. We are up to 10 chickens now instead of 6.

 

[Trish44]

@FarmerBlake that sure looks like a roo to me but I agree with danz that they do get feathers slower than pullets. Their backs & tail come in slower & they usually get taller with bigger legs than the pullets.

 

[HEChicken]

FarmerBlake, normally a 4-week old with a comb like that, I'd be suspicious it is a cockerel, however I've had surprises along the way, with one last year that looked like yours at 2 weeks and still turned out to be a pullet. When looking at genders, you have to look at the whole package, not just the comb. As Trish44 said, the legs and feet can be very telling. Cockerels will stand taller, and their legs are thicker. Feet and toes are overall bigger than a pullet of the same age. Feather coloring sometimes comes into play too, depending on the breed. For example, with buff birds, the males feather coloring will be more orange while the pullets are a lighter buff color.

It is another gorgeous spring day with promises of storms tomorrow. We need the rain but I sure hope we don't get the golf-ball sized hail they're predicting. That could be devastating to my tomato and pepper seedlings. My 3 comfrey plants all started to develop flower buds so I've lopped two of them down to the ground so far (a few days apart) and fed the leaves to the goats who were very appreciative. I offered some to the chickens but they just looked at them and walked away. The goats however loved them so it wasn't a waste. I'll do the same to the third plant here in a few days and let them start the cycle all over again.

Another turkey has gone broody so I am down to only one laying. Once this new one has sat for a few more days, I'll give her the eggs that are currently in the incubator. They've already been going for 8-10 days so she'll have a head start.

My sister gave me a print the other day. She said she saw it in a store and couldn't resist. It looks gorgeous on my kitchen wall - as you can see the wall color complements it nicely and it is so cheerful - I love looking up while I'm cooking and see it.

 

[lizzyGSR]

I have had so much "bad luck" with chickens! Ugh! I just had another bird die on me. This one was looking listless this morning when I did chores. I separated it fromt eh rest this morning, put some Vi-Tal (from Orscheln's) in its water, as well as a bit of antibiotic, and then gave it a drop of peppermint oil. Danz recommended oregano oil, but I didn't have any, so I used what I had. By lunch time, the bird was dead. Other than listlessness, the only sign of sickness was a bit of a web bum, probably from diarrhea. This bird was 7 weeks old. I have no idea what was wrong with it. It's rather discouraging to have lost another bird. That's 9 or 10 that I've lost since I first received them in the mail out of 49 total birds. That is NOT good odds! ugh! I'm not sure how long I'll stick with chickens after this year (my first year with chickens). Ducks and geese are SO MUCH easier! I like the different personalities in the chickens and the fact that they eat different stuff than the ducks/geese. I also like that I can put them on nipple waterers instead of the big mess the waterfowl make with their water, but the ease of losing a bird is a big con. My emotions can't take this (pregnancy hormones might have a little something to do with that)!

Anyone else have a rough first year with birds?

 

[sharol]

An update on my broody Araucana/incubator project.

I set 4 eggs under Whiskers. 2 of her own and 2 Breda eggs. The two blue eggs are clear at 10 days, this morning one of the Breda eggs broke (and was developing). The 2nd Breda egg looks good and is developing.

Of the 24 eggs I put in the incubator, I have 8 Breda eggs and 9 English orp eggs developing (at least 4 of the developing eggs are pure Jubilee) as well as one green EE egg that turned out to be fertile. There are 2 more I left in there even though there is weak bloodline in them. I'm going to give them a few days and candle those 2 again. The 2 Orp eggs that were clear were both marked L (lavender) so at least one my lavs isn't getting fertilized. So far so good.

Question: I don't want to risk any more developing eggs under Whiskers because she is getting disturbed too much by the other hens laying, and I don't have anywhere else for her. Should I leave the blue eggs under her? They don't smell and never started to develop. Would it be better to trade out some new blue eggs that I'm pretty sure aren't fertile? The last thing I want is a stinkbomb egg in a nest.

 

[JiltdRoyalty]

Good morning from Wichita!

 

[Trish44]

@JiltdRoyalty it looks like you have a nice setup there, I love the roses too & your raised garden beds. I need a couple of those myself.

@lizzyGSR I've been hearing of people having problems with hatchery birds this year, so they may just not have been really healthy to begin with. I'm sorry you're having a hard time too. Hatcheries only care about how many chicks they can ship out the door not quality of the birds. I know I have said that before but it's true. Think of as an example a puppy mill where the dogs aren't kept in the best conditions, hatcheries are kind of a parallel to that IMO.

 

[turboscooby07]

Lizzy we had some terrible luck this year too. We had 15 healthy happy hatchery birds about 8 weeks old. Our dog killed 14 of them for sport. One very traumatized roo made his way back to the coop. I found him pacing back and forth looking for his flock. He is quite flighty now. We got him some chicks to help him out but they are quarantined at the moment.
Persistence persistence. Just remember somebody out there is having a much worse day than you. The sun will come up.