Determining age

[doublebow]

I have looked on the site and can't find anything about this. Is there any way to figure out how old a chicken is? I bought five "dominiques" last spring that were "five months old". Long story short, not all were doms and I think only one was the age she was supposed to be. But how can you tell?

 

[bluey]

In most yellow skinned breeds (I think Dominiques have yellow legs, never owned one though) you can tell by the "bleaching" effect, the process by which a hen loses the color in their feet/legs and other areas.

Search bleaching on BYC or consult a chicken book to avoid being "taken" in the future by folks trying to pawn off older hens.

The bleaching is very pronounced by two years of age!

 

[doublebow]

Thanks for the info.