Help- male issue?

[CabritaChicks]

Rooster. My Am mixes have frazzly tails too. I think they'll even out when they grow up. My mature Easter eggers pullets have the shiniest most flawless tail feathers I've ever seen.

Thank you for the response.

At this point, I’m not sure what my options are. I just don’t see how keeping two roosters is realistic — Captain Morgan is absolutely a rooster, no question about it - by design. I chose the coolest looking rooster for flock protection, and eventually breed with the basque hen and hatch chickens that would lay green eggs.

I planned this flock carefully, special-ordering each breed from 3,500 miles away. Even though my birds free-range, the coop itself is only so big, and adding another female would mean bringing in more than one chick or hatching eggs. I simply don’t have the roosting space for two or three additional birds, in my opinion. And honestly, raising more chicks is a lot of work, especially with growing season about to hit full swing — I’m about to be buried in gardening.

I’m honestly not sure if they’ll ever get along — right now it’s a full-on battle royale. Although they still all dog pile-sleep together, its just a sumo-style chest bumps and leapfrog. Captain’s whole personality has shifted; he’s pulling away from me, and being petted is suddenly the last thing he wants. He’s gotten a bit squirrely and seems far more interested in climbing to the highest possible perch and overseeing than hanging out with me.

Kraken, on the other hand, is a total sweetheart — always seeking attention and perfectly content spending time with the girls. But Kraken is… well, let’s just say he’s not exactly the most striking 'rooster'(?) visually.

Since I'm new to this, what traits do you think make him look like a roo? Is it the feet, feather, comb?

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Alternative hypothesis: they are both female and just establishing a pecking order. Neither of them look roostery to me.

Take that with a grain of salt because I have had exactly zero coffees yet this morning but I am also in the “wait for male-specific feathers” club on rooster IDs.

 

[CabritaChicks]

Alternative hypothesis: they are both female and just establishing a pecking order. Neither of them look roostery to me.

Take that with a grain of salt because I have had exactly zero coffees yet this morning but I am also in the “wait for male-specific feathers” club on rooster IDs.

That would be amazing! I was going by the image on the website, in which girls are light colored, and males look like a techincolor tie-die.

But if both female- I will jump for joy! plant a tree in your honor.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

How do they get color to breed true in olive eggers? I suck at chicken genetics but I suppose it depends what you make them out of. Clearly they’re using Ameraucana with something else…but I can’t think of what to cross Am with to make that light colored hen. Unless that photo is of a wheaten Am hen and the male they use in the cross?

 

[CabritaChicks]

How do they get color to breed true in olive eggers? I suck at chicken genetics but I suppose it depends what you make them out of. Clearly they’re using Ameraucana with something else…but I can’t think of what to cross Am with to make that light colored hen. Unless that photo is of a wheaten Am hen and the male they use in the cross?

No: my 'rooster' is a wheaten olive egger. The Am, is a black americuana in question.
Kraken is a Black Americuana (I ordered a female)
Captain Morgan is a Wheaten (I ordered a male)

So Captain is a dead ringer for the Wheaten Rooster that I found online as the females are light colored.

Kraken, however is black americuana- so the males and females are damn right similar until very mild feather differentiation.

Edit: oh wait- do you mean the comb difference in the wheaten? (aparently I have not had my coffee yet either).

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

No: my 'rooster' is a wheaten olive egger.

That’s what I mean—how do they make a wheaten olive egger? They have to use a blue-egg layer (I assume they’re using Ameraucanas for that since the hen in that photo is an wheaten Ameraucana). But then they would need a dark-egg laying breed for the male. What combination of breeds are they using to make a specific color of olive egger? I suspect they aren’t breeding wheaten colored chicks but chicks from a wheaten Ameraucana and a BCM rooster. So your cockerel wouldn’t be identifiable by color alone until male-specific feathers show up.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Edit: oh wait- do you mean the comb difference in the wheaten? (aparently I have not had my coffee yet either).

No I’m just talking about the color of Captain Morgan.

 

[CabritaChicks]

That’s what I mean—how do they make a wheaten olive egger? They have to use a blue-egg layer (I assume they’re using Ameraucanas for that since the hen in that photo is an wheaten Ameraucana). But then they would need a dark-egg laying breed for the male. What combination of breeds are they using to make a specific color of olive egger? I suspect they aren’t breeding wheaten colored chicks but chicks from a wheaten Ameraucana and a BCM rooster. So your cockerel wouldn’t be identifiable by color alone until male-specific feathers show up.

I’ve officially derailed my workday in favor of obsessively Googling Wheaten Olive Eggers. No regrets. (Okay, maybe a few.)

I told hubby, - he says 'well the captain of this ship is certainly manly looking, beard and all, but these days who can tell?'

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

They’re from Meyer, right? The website says the females should be lighter so however they do it Captain Morgan should be male. I am definitely going to follow along for updates so keep posting photos!

 

[CabritaChicks]

Yes, all from Meyer hatchery. Captain Seems he might have some sort of a defect- respiratory issue. Antibiotics, antifungals, change of scenery. Nothing helped. He’s always panting even in just a reasonable 78° indoors.
—

This is 4 mongrels first day out in the coop – it’s closed off from the other two adult chickens that are free ranging. So they get to basically explore what will be their new digs without fear.

I can still see the significant angst between those two. But then my fingers are definitely crossed that my black Americuana – is actually a pullet and not a roo

But if my Wheaton turns out to be a palette? But then I don’t care. It’s super awesome.

Because I need my chicken math to add up- and pass the exam I made hubby and I study for at great length. Thanks to the BYC community for helping me make the decision as to which chickens would be most beneficial for our lifestyle and choices.