Does anyone know these birds Gender, breed and when they will start laying????

[chickchick1010]

Hey all,
So i have 2 chickens that are now 18 weeks old. I was just wondering is it normal to have one chicks comb and waddle (ivy) bigger then the others (tilly). COuld ivy just be ready to lay or is SHE actually a he. Also if anyone could tell me the breed that would be awsome thanks in advance

Ivy

ivy

ivy

tilly

tilly

tilly

Tilly

Ivy

 

[ChickenWisperer]

At about 4 months, no pullet is ready to lay - normal time for a pullet to start is 5-6 months.

As you partially suspected, "Ivy" is indeed a he. You can tell from the larger comb development, and in the pictures of the legs, you can see little bumps where the spurs will start to develop. As for the breed, I'm unsure - it's possible he's a leghorn of some type, or a ill-bred comet rooster (though his shoulders aren't really dark enough for one).

Tilly appears to be a pullet to me. What kind, I'm not sure - I'd need better pictures. Her color is off, she may be one of those Leghorns that have dark/black patches of feathers at random. Or she might be a splash colored something - I'd need better pictures.

 

[chickchick1010]

Hey thankyou. They could be different breeds does that change the development??

 

[ramirezframing]

Both look like leghorn cross pullets to me. The hatcheries have come out with a few of these lately like a tetra tint. But both look like pullets that should start laying soon, all chickens have spur bumps and some hens will even get spurs.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Both look like leghorn cross pullets to me. The hatcheries have come out with a few of these lately like a tetra tint. But both look like pullets that should start laying soon, all chickens have spur bumps and some hens will even get spurs.

I agree --these are both pullets with some Leghorn in them. I would also guess Tetra Tint or one of the other hybrids like the California White made for commercial layer barns. It is completely possible that they are close to point of lay at 4 months--contrary to what ChickenW said above. It is normal for these hybrids to lay their first egg sometime around 18 weeks, and their combs will color up before then. Some of these hybrids have been known to lay their first egg at 16 weeks, although that's not desirable because they will lay lots of tiny eggs and their egg size will not increase as rapidly as if they'd waited a bit to lay their first egg. CW is also wrong to look at spur nubs to sex birds--all birds, regardless of sex have them, and in males they often don't start truly developing until the bird is over a year old.

You are right that the pullet with the larger comb is more advance and will probably lay her first egg first.

 

[chickchick1010]

Thankyou so much guys i was so worried ivy was a boy, and we live in the suburbs so NO roosters are aloud. Although that wouldn't stop me as i raised theses two beautiful girls since the day they where born

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thankyou so much guys i was so worried ivy was a boy, and we live in the suburbs so NO roosters are aloud. Although that wouldn't stop me as i raised theses two beautiful girls since the day they where born

Leghorn pullet combs often fool the uninitiated into thinking they are male. Their combs may continue to grow and grow--my white Leghorn combs are so big they flop over and cover their eye.

 

[hope4rainbow]

Our Leghorn girls started laying recently. One at 17 weeks, two at 18 weeks and one just started today at 20. She is the smallest and has the smallest comb by far. The two biggest left (who were secong and third until one got killed) have combs that flop over. I can tell our now four pure white birds apart by their comb shape and size, and the one by her size without looking at the rest. Their personalities are very different as well lol.
Yours look like our smallest girl at about 13-14 weeks, though so that paired with the coloring on the one, is go with possibly crossed somewhere. Maybe?
Since you're positive on age and Leghorns are known for their ginormous combs. Two sprouted literally overnight from large to huge and floppy. It was quite the surprise the next morning! Lol!