Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

I know - and I basically blame you for this!
I am a bit worried about keeping Cookie’s feet clean as they are so extreme, but I am totally sold on Tassels and Geronimo. Very stylish!
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Cookie is just, wow .

You have to remind me again what breed she is? She is a custom hatchery mix right? Looking at her and remembering nothing I think her coloring is called mottled. She is very close to my Georgina who is Splash. Georgina has that one huge back spot but countless smaller spots over her body. That foot feathering and body shape, Cochin has to have been used to create it. I will not believe otherwise.

Let me ease your worry some with cookie and her slippers. She will take care of them. You keep a clean run, with access to outside to forage. My cochins have the heaviest feet feathering and they are never filthy. Due to their refusal to roost, my issue with them is dirty butts.

 

[RoyalChick]

Cookie is just, wow .

You have to remind me again what breed she is? She is a custom hatchery mix right? Looking at her and remembering nothing I think her coloring is called mottled. She is very close to my Georgina who is Splash. Georgina has that one huge back spot but countless smaller spots over her body. That foot feathering and body shape, Cochin has to have been used to create it. I will not believe otherwise.

Let me ease your worry some with cookie and her slippers. She will take care of them. You keep a clean run, with access to outside to forage. My cochins have the heaviest feet feathering and they are never filthy. Due to their refusal to roost, my issue with them is dirty butts.

@rural mouse analysed what she could be - I need to go back and find that post.
Yes - she is some hatchery mix so we will never know for sure. If you look closely at her feet her skin is spotted which isn’t dirt and I don’t think she has anything wrong with them - I think she just has spotty skin!

 

[RoyalChick]

I think @rural mouse thought Mottled Houdan x mottled Cochin bantam. That was based on skin color, comb, the extra toes, what Meyers says about the mix, and what breeds Meyers carry.
Did I get that right @rural mouse?

 

[RoyalChick]

Sigh. I just asked a friend for advice on the Chippy dilemma. I thought she would persuade me he had to go.
After I explained the situation she said: Well you best get a name for the handsome dude. Something posh because he will look very distinguished.

I am surrounded by enablers!

 

[kattabelly]

As far as guessing on gender with Chippie, this picture did it for me.

I thought I spotted something and had to zoom in and see. Top of the tail zoom in and you will see it. One feather curves down. Then at the bottom of the tail one of the feathers has a patch of green iridescence. I also spot a bit of green shine on his back. You can see it, right smack in the middle of the last 2 shadow stripes, it stands out like a sore thumb.

I may be wrong, but with the comb and wattles at 6 weeks, I am firmly in the male camp now.

I agree Chippy is very likely a cockerel, but not sure why this is relevant? Iridescence isn't just a male thing.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I agree Chippy is very likely a cockerel, but not sure why this is relevant? Iridescence isn't just a male thing.

I know both genders can have it.

I will try to explain why to me with chippy it is relevant.

Right now it is relevant because of Chippy's age. For this explanation I'm going to call Chippy a slower to mature cockerel.

Chippy should be going through one of his many juvenile molts. In my experience it is at this age range, 6 to 8 weeks that the sneaky males reveal themselves. They may not have the huge combs and wattles yet. They may not be early crowers, but the 6 to 8 week molts tend to reveal the males as male specific feathering and patterning comes in.

Now granted, my 2 speckled sussex were girls. What I have had though is countless Black Copper Marans cockerels. My hens were just that, boy moms so in my explanation I'm going to refer to them as I had several sneaky boys who I thought may be girls until that molt.

The first 6 weeks all Black Copper Marans look alike. They look like little penguins at hatch. They feather out black with white wing feather at the base of the wings which they loose around the 6 to 8 week molts. Both sexes if they have the full copper neck markings also have the copper feathering pop in at this age. If the boys are not already sprouting a bright red comb and wattles they can trick you into thinking they are pullets.

What gives those males away is the sudden appearance seemingly overnight of a copper feather on their shoulders or their backs. Hens do not have copper markings anywhere else besides their necks. What also coincides with these male specific feather patterns is iridescence. Specifically in their tails, backs and along their wings. At 6 to 8 weeks the pullets while black do not shine. Their feathers are still dull in all light conditions.

Those same dull girls, 5 months on after a few more molts, yes in the right lighting they sparkle. It is just never that early.

Ok, stepping away from Marans and focusing back on Speckled Sussex. There is no gender specific feather pattern. Both sexes will have that lovely speckled look. Looking at pictures of roosters recently there is one difference. The males have the green tint to their tails and their wings. That is why spotting those 2 green spots on Chippy and that 1 lone curved tail feather at 6 weeks is significant to me on gender guess. Combine that with his comb and wattles leads me to 100% believe he is a late blooming cockerel.

 

[kattabelly]

Oooooo Highlands... of course OK

Some pups are really true joys... DH was gone for 2 weeks puppysitting DD/SILs dogs & DH took a video of Quincy nudging his hand to scratch her chest. I couldn't wait for Pony Sunday

Far more gentle than the "nudges" I get from this lot The steer on the left likes his face scratched and he'll just plow into your chest head-first if there isn't a fence in the way. Doesn't realise he's closer to the size of a small car than a large puppy these days. His mum, standing off at a distance, lost her place as head cow after she had him but still likes to boss humans around. If you aren't scratching properly or haven't got the right spot, she does a dramatic head toss that could be lethal if you weren't expecting it.

VID_20250818_182630.mp4

• kattabelly
• Sep 19, 2025

Ridiculous creatures.

 

[Ponypoor]

There's always at least 1 that messes with your mind in some way, shape, or form.

Like Floyd…..

 

[kattabelly]

I know both genders can have it.

I will try to explain why to me with chippy it is relevant.

Right now it is relevant because of Chippy's age. For this explanation I'm going to call Chippy a slower to mature cockerel.

Chippy should be going through one of his many juvenile molts. In my experience it is at this age range, 6 to 8 weeks that the sneaky males reveal themselves. They may not have the huge combs and wattles yet. They may not be early crowers, but the 6 to 8 week molts tend to reveal the males as male specific feathering and patterning comes in.

Now granted, my 2 speckled sussex were girls. What I have had though is countless Black Copper Marans cockerels. My hens were just that, boy moms so in my explanation I'm going to refer to them as I had several sneaky boys who I thought may be girls until that molt.

The first 6 weeks all Black Copper Marans look alike. They look like little penguins at hatch. They feather out black with white wing feather at the base of the wings which they loose around the 6 to 8 week molts. Both sexes if they have the full copper neck markings also have the copper feathering pop in at this age. If the boys are not already sprouting a bright red comb and wattles they can trick you into thinking they are pullets.

What gives those males away is the sudden appearance seemingly overnight of a copper feather on their shoulders or their backs. Hens do not have copper markings anywhere else besides their necks. What also coincides with these male specific feather patterns is iridescence. Specifically in their tails, backs and along their wings. At 6 to 8 weeks the pullets while black do not shine. Their feathers are still dull in all light conditions.

Those same dull girls, 5 months on after a few more molts, yes in the right lighting they sparkle. It is just never that early.

Ok, stepping away from Marans and focusing back on Speckled Sussex. There is no gender specific feather pattern. Both sexes will have that lovely speckled look. Looking at pictures of roosters recently there is one difference. The males have the green tint to their tails and their wings. That is why spotting those 2 green spots on Chippy and that 1 lone curved tail feather at 6 weeks is significant to me on gender guess. Combine that with his comb and wattles leads me to 100% believe he is a late blooming cockerel.

Fair enough, I'm not really familiar with the Speckled Sussexes. Thanks for the explanation

Just had a look back through my pics out of interest and all the properly black Shetlands definitely have some iridescence coming through by that age, on the rare day it was actually sunny enough here to show up. Ten weeks older and only one has a comb slightly bigger and redder than Chippy's though

This was the best photo I could find of my Light Sussex's combs at that age - a couple days short of six weeks here. The three on the left are two cockerels and a pullet with her head between theirs. Right is my dodgy yellow-legged Quite Suss-ish.

 

[Ponypoor]

Sigh. I just asked a friend for advice on the Chippy dilemma. I thought she would persuade me he had to go.
After I explained the situation she said: Well you best get a name for the handsome dude. Something posh because he will look very distinguished.

I am surrounded by enablers!
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Lord Spots-alot

And he will be a very handsome lad for sure!