Green Iridescence?

[cheeptrick]

Do all roos have green iridesence or do hens have it in their feathers also?
I've 24 EE's and I'm noticing some changes in feathers...one is even turning black headed from brown headed???
They will be 19 weeks old on Friday!
I'm also counting my chickens with the pointed hackle feathers (the feathers around the neck) and many of them have pointed feathers around the neck. Since no one is really crowing yet...I'm starting to get confused who's roo and who's hen? Maybe I'll post some pictures!
I've also noticed their combs are changing which I know starts around laying time. BUT everyone here made such a big deal about THE redder...the rooster???
Any ideas?

 

[speckledhen]

Any black bird, male or female, would have the green irridescence in the feathers. The Ameraucanas I have (not EE, but close enough for this point) have pointy neck feathers, even the pullets. Look at the saddle feathers in this breed more than the hackles, I think. In a pea comb, usually if the bird has three raised rows of "peas", its a cockerel. My two pullets still have very small combs at 18 weeks old and the middle row/ridge is the only one that's prominent.
Check out the difference in the pullet and cockerel's combs:

 

[sundance]

I ordered 25 RIR from McMurray hatcheries, one died so now i only 24 but i do have 2 roo's and both have the most beautiful blue green tails, i just wonder if they are supposed to have them. Some of the hens also have these beautiful feathers, I always thought they were supposed to just plain red but these are several shades of red with all these gorgeous colors mixed in their feathers. so i guess, what breed do i have?

 

[cheeptrick]

THANK you Speckled HEN...I LOVE YOU!

I'm about to post a couple photos...give me a minute while I upload them to Photobucket!
I've got 24...but took some photos of one in question of the saddle feathers!

 

[speckledhen]

RIRs are supposed to be deep mahogany red with some flat black in the wings and tails, not green. You ought to post some pics and let us see what you have.
cheeptrick, glad to help!

 

[cheeptrick]

Any clues? They were just getting settled...its up and down till everyone is happy...put another roost in up way high and they aren't using it yet...crowded all in on top of each other...warmer that way anyhow! It's 50 degrees right now!

 

[sundance]

I would love to Speckled Hen but i just can't seem to get the hang of posting pix, been trying to show off my run and coop but can't get the pix off photo bucket, and the last on to photo bucket, and sorry, no teenagers around to show me,

I think I would almost kill for 50 degree weather right now after so many days of 100+ temps

 

[speckledhen]

I think I would almost kill for 50 degree weather right now after so many days of 100+ temps

I second that motion, LOL. Why this torture? If this is a portent of summers to come, I think I want to move to a higher elevation than I'm already at!

Cheep, looks like mostly girls to me, from what I can tell. The main one in the last pic is a girl and one coming in from the side of the second pic is a girl. The one on the roost bar in the third picture, I'm not sure about. Jody here has all three breeds and is much better at the EE sexing than I am. Hopefully, she'll put in her very valuable two cents!​

 

[cheeptrick]

Ok...I can safely say that most or all of mine have 'pea' combs and that I agree with you that right now at this age only the center ridge is visible. I did think that maybe the black headed on bottom roost with very 'red' comb is having definite changes in the comb. For the last 2 weeks it has gotten bigger and redder starting from the top down! Larger at the head and narrower at the beak. This chicken has been very solitary as of late...and I've been finding it and its been allowing us to pick it up quite frequently!
Hmmmmm....
Just thinking out loud!

 

[speckledhen]

At first, my black Ameraucana, Scout, had a thick comb, but it didn't turn reddish till way after my other two cockerels' did. Just by the thick, three ridges on his comb, I got suspicious and Jody (hinkjc) told me what to look for. As usual, she was right and Delilah turned into Scout.