- May 8, 2015
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I'm new to chickens. I have gender and development questions on my orpingtons.
I have a blue Orpington & splash Orpington I got from a local breeder. I assume they are siblings? Hatch mates
. They are supposedly only 21/2 weeks old. But they were HUGE when I got them and are bigger than my 4 week old lavender orp. I suspect they're older but breeder says otherwise and they did have what looked like remnants of the egg tooth still on their beaks when I got them at 5 days old. Maybe they are just very large chicks naturally. Anyhow, the blue is feathering a lot-- wings and back/shoulder area and has her tail. The splash has less wing and back feathers and no tail. The splash stands taller, pecks at me a tad, not afraid of me/my hand and has larger feet and comb and head seems bigger. Would all these factors indicate roo? The breeder said she would replace a rooster with a pullet so I'd like to do that sooner than later. But I don't want to pester her if it's far too early to tell. It just seems like there are so many signs now. And I'm an amateur. What are y'all's thoughts?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6901756/width/350/height/700
[IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6901808/width/350/height/700
Now on to my lavender Orpington. S/he is 4 weeks old and smaller than the blue and splash who are half her age. She came from a different breeder. My friend bought 10 and she's not having this problem with hers. Anyhoo, her wings and/or wing feathers seem deformed. Is she just poor quality or is there something wrong with her? Feathers are tattered, curl up and her knee(if chickens even have knees) sticks out and her wing rests on top of it. See picture below. That's the blue and splash in back with the lav. Giving you another view of tail and comb on them. And any guesses on gender of the lav? Small comb, dainty appearance but only wisps of a tail at 4 weeks.
I have a blue Orpington & splash Orpington I got from a local breeder. I assume they are siblings? Hatch mates
. They are supposedly only 21/2 weeks old. But they were HUGE when I got them and are bigger than my 4 week old lavender orp. I suspect they're older but breeder says otherwise and they did have what looked like remnants of the egg tooth still on their beaks when I got them at 5 days old. Maybe they are just very large chicks naturally. Anyhow, the blue is feathering a lot-- wings and back/shoulder area and has her tail. The splash has less wing and back feathers and no tail. The splash stands taller, pecks at me a tad, not afraid of me/my hand and has larger feet and comb and head seems bigger. Would all these factors indicate roo? The breeder said she would replace a rooster with a pullet so I'd like to do that sooner than later. But I don't want to pester her if it's far too early to tell. It just seems like there are so many signs now. And I'm an amateur. What are y'all's thoughts?https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6901756/width/350/height/700
[IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6901808/width/350/height/700
Now on to my lavender Orpington. S/he is 4 weeks old and smaller than the blue and splash who are half her age. She came from a different breeder. My friend bought 10 and she's not having this problem with hers. Anyhoo, her wings and/or wing feathers seem deformed. Is she just poor quality or is there something wrong with her? Feathers are tattered, curl up and her knee(if chickens even have knees) sticks out and her wing rests on top of it. See picture below. That's the blue and splash in back with the lav. Giving you another view of tail and comb on them. And any guesses on gender of the lav? Small comb, dainty appearance but only wisps of a tail at 4 weeks.
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