Def Australorps, but having doubts on sex

[Rilig]

So, I got 4 chickens (but one died a few weeks ago) in late June, all around 9 weeks old. They'll be almost 20 weeks by September. I'm having doubts about their sexes.


First up is Fiona. The biggest in the beginning, but now the smallest and least 'developed'. Lacking in iridescence.







This below is Ruffles. Smallest to start, now largest. Very iridescent with round tail feathers.






Lastly, Henrietta. Middle in size then and now, but close to Ruffles.Very iridescent with a few pointed tail feathers

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

Ruffles and Henrietta look like roosters... just because of those pointy feathers by their tails & their neck feathers.

 

[Mac14]

Ya I say you are right.

 

[donrae]

Hen, roo, roo.

 

[questions543]

Hen, roo, roo.

x2

 

[ChickenExtreme]

x2

X 3

 

[Rilig]

Thanks! Hmmm, now what to do about these roosters? I'm sure I'll keep them. Maybe I can get another hen (of about the same age as the others), as my coop is just large enough to hold one more chicken.

 

[SweetSilver]

Ooooh, you need way more! Time to fire up the Chicken Calculator and do some chicken math. Hmmmm....let me see....... another 20 pullets ought to do ya!

OK, sarcasm aside, 2 hens is still not enough for 2 roos. They would be harassed until you had a larger flock.

Pretty boys, though. It's so hard to give up cockerels because they are so beautiful. But give it a while. Soon they will start doing buttheaded things that make letting them go incredibly easy.

 

[Rilig]

...2 hens is still not enough for 2 roos. They would be harassed until you had a larger flock.

How many would you recommend as a minimum? I'm pretty keen on getting more than ~1 egg a day.

 

[SweetSilver]

Year round? You need at least 4 to get one egg a day through the year. Not year round? 2 or 3 hens. (Deaths happen unexpectedly, so a flock that size isn't very stable, IMO, and only doable if you have to.) To keep two adults in eggs you'll need a flock of 4-6, depending on how much you eat, the breed and the particular hen. For a family, at least 4.

Many folks size their flock for the winter egg-laying lull and sell the rest in the summer.

Most people on this site are just crazy and keep getting birds because they are "pretty" or some such silliness.