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[shadow rabbit10]

hmmmm... why do I have bunnies??

You have bunnies because they are awesome!

 

[Symphony]

Am I ugly?

 

[shadow rabbit10]

No!
Do you think I'm random?

 

[Rachel96]

Okay, I have a serious dumb-newby question:

Is it possible to sex chickens for sure before they start crowing/laying?

I don't know how to vent-sex birds (I want to learn but it sounds a little gross) and I have some seven-week old chicks I'd like to sex. And what about breeds which don't have clear combes and wattles, like silkies? I usually try to work out which sex teenage birds are by how big their combes and wattles are (a fifteen-week-old rooster will have combes and wattles about the size of a twenty-five-week-old hen), but I get stumped on ones that don't have a single combe.

I feel really dumb when I go into the local grain and fodder shop, which usually has an amazing selection of birds, because they're not labelled and you're just meant to KNOW what breed/sex they are. I get most of my birds from the local classifieds site because people labelled the breed and sex of your bird and don't mind you asking silly questions because you can't see it (unless you ask to go around and have a look at it!). The guys in the grain and fodder shop come across as a little disparaging when you ask a dumb question.

 

[NixNoodleNumbat]

Okay, I have a serious dumb-newby question:

Is it possible to sex chickens for sure before they start crowing/laying?

I don't know how to vent-sex birds (I want to learn but it sounds a little gross) and I have some seven-week old chicks I'd like to sex. And what about breeds which don't have clear combes and wattles, like silkies? I usually try to work out which sex teenage birds are by how big their combes and wattles are (a fifteen-week-old rooster will have combes and wattles about the size of a twenty-five-week-old hen), but I get stumped on ones that don't have a single combe.

I feel really dumb when I go into the local grain and fodder shop, which usually has an amazing selection of birds, because they're not labelled and you're just meant to KNOW what breed/sex they are. I get most of my birds from the local classifieds site because people labelled the breed and sex of your bird and don't mind you asking silly questions because you can't see it (unless you ask to go around and have a look at it!). The guys in the grain and fodder shop come across as a little disparaging when you ask a dumb question.

That's not a dumb question! There are a few different ways.I usually look at the hackle, saddle and tail feathers. You should go to the 'What Breed or Gender is This?' section of this forum for more information.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I have a question. I don't have chickens yet, but they're coming in May and there is something that is just starting to dawn on me now. When a hen goes broody, does she have to hatch chicks? Can I just keep taking eggs from her? Will the broodieness go away after a while? It would be very hard for me to hatch all the time.

 

[chicklover16]

I have a question. I don't have chickens yet, but they're coming in May and there is something that is just starting to dawn on me now. When a hen goes broody, does she have to hatch chicks? Can I just keep taking eggs from her? Will the broodieness go away after a while? It would be very hard for me to hatch all the time.

Just keep taking the eggs away and she will give up eventually

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Thank God. I could never hatch chicks all the time.

 

[chicklover16]

Thank God. I could never hatch chicks all the time.

LOL I had a broody once, she was sooo stubborn! I had so give her a ice bath before she gave up!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Quote:
LOL I had a broody once, she was sooo stubborn! I had so give her a ice bath before she gave up!

Ha! I'm sure she was happy with you afterwards!