Craigslist chicken breed and gender

[mama24]

That hen is awfully rough looking for a pullet! She looks like an old hen past her prime to me. I have 2-3yo hens and that's what she reminds me of. Even my 1 year old girls still have beautiful well-groomed healthy feathers, let alone my 3-4 mo old pullets! My old girls are looking really rough and their feathers never come in as nice and pretty as the young ones anymore after a molt. I think this person is trying to get some money out of an old bird who is no longer laying well.

 

[BlazeJester]

She does seem to be on the older side. You should be able to tell if she's still laying by checking her pubic bones and vent. Hopefully someone with more experience in this area can tell you what to look for.

 

[mama24]

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I agree, they are definitely lying about her age and breed, but if you like her, buy her. I just took in an old Production Red whose flockmates were all killed by a possum. She hasn't laid an egg in months, but at least now she has a good home with lots of company to live out her days!

Since they said she is an Ancona, I am inclined to think a broody Ancona may have hatched her out, but the dad was clearly some type of crested v-vombed breed. Probably a Polish or Houdan since she doesn't have any leg feathering.

 

[Young Heritage]

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But the bird is supposed to be young, and look at the tail -at the body carriage - to me it says roo. Another picture would help, though.

I agree that the age is not correct but I have a game hen that has spurs, tail, and body just like this one and she is a hen that lays very well for a Game Breed. I also have an Easter Egger that has the same tail and body but no spurs and lays light blue eggs.

 

[tadkerson]

It looks like a henny feathered male. The male appears to have a duplex comb. The duplex comb is too big to be a female. But if it lays an egg-it is definitely a hen.

The spurs are too large to be a young male or female. The bird is over one year old.

As a chick it would have not looked much different than an ancona. Some crests are hard to see on day old chicks.

Tim

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

I think it looks like a boy! I've never seen a pullet or even hen look so rough.

 

[StarLover21]

I think it's a girl- I have 6-8 year old hens, and they don't look very rough...she doesn't look that bad, in my oppinion. Don't you see the perfectly rounded back feathers? I think it's a 1-3 year old hen.

 

[mama24]

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She doesn't look bad at all! She just doesn't look anything as young as 4 mos! LOL.

 

[turtlewomyn]

Well I haven't heard any crowing but no eggs yet (to be expected, she moved twice in two days).

This is also a very skittish chicken and when I tried to get some more photos of her in the quarantine pen I couldn't get very close. These were the best I could do.

 

[stormylady]

You don't suppose she is going though the last stages of a molt or something and thats why she looks so rough?? My girls look really messed up during there molts, LOL I don't know about her age or breed but I say give her alittle time to get "fixed" . And comfortable so if and when she lays she'll look good doing it.