Hello

[MonicainAZ]

production Red pullet
red sex link pullet.
I think another Red pullet. I can't tell if she's solid red or has black/dark brown markings? Either way, a girl.
The last three are cockerels. Looks like a buff Orpington and two mixed breeds.

Agree, except I'll add that the third pullet looks like perhaps a dark cornish to me.

 

[drumstick diva]

x 3 donrae

 

[shafty]

The forth and fifth pics are actually 2 different birds. Sobyou think they are both roosters? Thanks alot for your help. I agree with your gender opinions. However i think one of the buffs is a pullet, that would be the one in the fifth picture. Im just judging by her tail feathers.

 

[donrae]

They both look like cockerels to me. I'm pretty sure I see saddle feathers starting.


Just to be sure, how old are they?

 

[ShrekDawg]

I personally think the 4th might be a girl but not sure. I think one of them def is because I have 3 Buff Orpingtons and they all have pretty big combs and wattles even young and that one's look smaller than the 5th picture. Not to mention how scrawny it looks whereas the other is huge and also the fact that the fifth ones legs, especially up near the body, look huge/meaty instead of skinnier. So i do think one is a girl. But that said i could be completely and totally wrong. To be sure I would keep both of them until they either lay eggs or crow LOL

 

[shafty]

I wish i knew how old tbey were lol. That way i would know when to expect eggs! My kids showed up with a box full of chicks one day! So off to tractor supply i went to but an overboriced coop and supplies! Now i have to figure out a plan for a more permanant coop before winter.

 

[donrae]

How long have you had them? Do you have pics from when you got them? If not, did they have any feathers or were they still covered in down? It's not too hard to estimate age.

 

[shafty]

They brought them on on may 15th. They said they were 4 weeks old the. They were just starting to get feathers but were mostly covered with down. Im no expert so i can only guess lol. And oh yeah btw my friend in pic 5 gave me a clear indication that he was a roo this morning. Crowing his butt off lol.

 

[shafty]

Oh sorry. No pics of them when they brought them home.

 

[ShrekDawg]

If they bought them May 15th then that should be 14 weeks ago on Sunday? Just over 3 months ago? So that means that if they were already 4 weeks old then, they should be around 18 weeks old now? Or if they were day old chicks they'd be 14 weeks but it seems they were 4 weeks old? Pretty easy to figure out looking at a calendar

Birds typically lay between 16 and 24 weeks but the Orpingtons may take longer, one of my EE and one Orpington started at 22 weeks, some of my other birds started a couple weeks later. I have 1 Barred Rock, 2 Black Australorps, 3 Buff Orpingtons, and 2 Easter Eggers. They all slowly started or started and stopped until all were laying. The sex links are bred to lay fast and early, often starting at 16 or 18 weeks so if they haven't yet they should start laying soon. Also around now I would switch the girls to layer pellets or buy flock raiser or all flock, the calcium in the layer pellets may hurt the boys but it may not, but the girls need the calcium so i would switch soon and/or seperate boys and girls. Also around this age I would go to the feed store and buy oyster shell. The girls need the extra calcium for egg production even though there is calcium in the feed. Offer it free choice in a separate container. Also do they have grit? That helps with digestion for all the chickens, boys and girls. Offer that free choice too. They don't have teeth so the rocks help grind up food, they store it in the crop. Good luck with the birds. Are you going to keep the roos or at least one or rehome them? I don't know if you eat your birds (I don't, mine are for pets and eggs) but you can also raise the boys up until they are older and fatter and use them for meat. Or you can use them for breeding or rehome. Good luck.