did i accidentally buy roosters??

[donrae]

If they're over a year old, those are all hens.
2+ year old hens just don't lay as much as younger hens. I've had birds lay until they were 7, but probably only 3 eggs a week. Add to that the fact it's still winter, where most older hens shut down for the season, and they just moved to a new home. I'm thinking by Easter you'll be getting over a dozen eggs a week.

I agree better pics will help. A clear profile shot of each bird. But honestly, if we're not looking at potentially juvenile roosters here, those are all hens.

 

[missnu01]

I will get more pics shortly. What about the fact none of them are crowing?

I have what I know for sure is a rooster out of a hatch of 5 chicks...he has a big red comb, they still have their pullet bumps just starting to turn red...Anyway he isn't crowing, but I know he is a rooster. The important information I need is how old these birds are. I can tell that your hen is young...and if the other birds are the same age then they are young roosters. No mistaking it. Now if these birds are a year old, then they are hens...but if they are less than a year you are dealing with 2 roosters...so how old are they? And where is this 4th chicken? I want to see all 4 of your birds in one shot, or separate...because getting to compare will make things so much simpler.
You can look at the gray hen and see that she still basically has no comb...just starting to get a little red on her face...A rooster the same age will have a full comb, although smaller than it will be once he is an adult. Anyway how old, and let's see some pics of all of them.

 

[missnu01]

Ive only had them a week and the person said they were 2-4 years old

All of them? Because the gray hen isn't that old..she still doesn't have a comb in...She has to be a juvenile..but if those 2 are in fact 2 years old then they really might be hens...but I know that your hen isn't 2 years old...so it's a toss up...just wait for eggs or crowing I guess. I am still going to guess rooster for both.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Ive only had them a week and the person said they were 2-4 years old

If that's the truth then they're all hens for sure. It's possible that the gray hen just came back into laying for the year, which would explain her small and pale comb. Don't expect too many eggs from them at that age, though. I average 3 eggs a week from my 4 year old hens.

Even if some of those are under a year old, though, the only questionable one is the red one with more white in it. It looked almost like there were saddle feathers coming in in one picture. HOWEVER, if she's 2-4 years old, she's a hen for sure.


By the way, big, red combs happen on pullets, too. Case in point, my Biddy-bird at 6 months old:

 

[missnu01]

If that's the truth then they're all hens for sure. It's possible that the gray hen just came back into laying for the year, which would explain her small and pale comb. Don't expect too many eggs from them at that age, though. I average 3 eggs a week from my 4 year old hens.

Even if some of those are under a year old, though, the only questionable one is the red one with more white in it. It looked almost like there were saddle feathers coming in in one picture. HOWEVER, if she's 2-4 years old, she's a hen for sure.


By the way, big, red combs happen on pullets, too. Case in point, my Biddy-bird at 6 months old:

But she has started lay at 6 months I assume...a laying hen has a big comb, but a young pullet won't.
and she looks like a hen. Neither the red or black seem to have rooster tail feathers, but they still look roostery to me.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

But OP is getting white eggs, has seen the gray bird lay a brown egg, and the other two birds look like red sexlinks, which would lay brown eggs. The black hen looks like a poor quality Minorca, which would lay white eggs and have a big comb like that. Minorcas are Mediterranean class, and have the lean, upright look like OP's black hen. I guess I'm not sure what your reasoning is for thinking that bird is a roo.

I can see where the red one from the first post looks like a *possible* roo, as it's patchy and almost looks like it has saddle feathers coming in, both typical traits of roos.

 

[missnu01]

If they are a couple years old then they are all hens.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

If they are a couple years old then they are all hens. 

X2

 

[mooneychicks]

Wow! Thank you all so much for your help. I am still very confused and still do not know what to believe but I will try to get more pictures soon. I hope very much that they are all hens. I dont know how to tell how old they really are or if they are really 2-4 years old like the lady said they were. Now I am almost wishing I would have raised chicks. I love them all so Im not too worried about what they are cause they are all part of the family and i dont think I have the heart to give them up. I had another brown egg today. I bet you $100 I will have a white one tomorrow. Its a pattern.

 

[Bellatrixed]

How long have you had these chickens? If they are really a few years old and one was a rooster, it would have crowed by now--many times. They are not polite about being quiet and leaving it questionable.

Every adult rooster I've known has crowed many times a day (and night).

Keep in mind it's also winter and lots of hens slow down their laying over the winter. I would be surprised if egg production didn't pick up as we move into spring.