help with gender please??

[Kimberly27]

I am new to the chicken world. Our new babies are 4-5 weeks old. When we purchased we were told they were leghorns. Would love to have your opinion on breed as well as genders as well as new advice for new chicken owners. Loving them so much already. Have got them a new coop coming soon as well. Right now they are still in box with heat lamp. There are 4 in all. My guess is 1 roo and 3 pullets. Would love to know your thoughts.

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My guess is the first and last are hens and the second from last is roo.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

They all look to be pullets at this point. Are you sure they are 4 to 5 weeks of age? They look closer to 3 to 4 weeks.

Either way it is too early to be definitive, but none show signs of roo. The comb size and color is the best indicator, especially in Leghorns where the males get large red combs fast.

I question they are Leghorn. Did you get them from a breeder? Or feedstore.

They are not White Leghorn or Brown Leghorn. There are many other colors of Leghorn, so potentially they could be one of those, especially if you got them from a breeder, but Brown and White are by far the most common in feed stores.

They look more like Red Stars/Red Sexlinks/Gold Sexlinks which means they are all pullets as the color of the chick down is linked to gender. They will also be egg laying machines laying nice large rich brown eggs.

As to how to take care of your chickens, keep reading through the articles and threads on BYC. You'll learn a lot of things here. Then when you have a specific question, or situation arises, feel free to post your question.

In brief summary, the most important thing with chickens is preventative care. 99% of that is keeping everything fresh and clean including food, water, litter, coop and run. That means changing water regularly, removing soiled litter frequently, and making sure the food stays dry and fresh, never damp or moldy. (You don't have to hover like a nervous maid, but keep a regular cleaning schedule).

The coop should be free from cold drafts but have air flow to prevent build up of ammonia from the poop (which is always present to some degree because they are chickens). Never use cedar shavings as the oils are toxic to birds. Some complain of pine, but I have never had issues. Straw is also a good choice, but be vigilant is does not mold.

Always practice good biosecurity. Keep a pair of shoes to do your chicken chores in and use them only for that. Never let someone from another farm or having come straight from walking in the park walk through your coop area as that can bring disease from other chickens or wild life, particularly water fowl.

If you have a bird that appears rumpled or sick, remove it from the rest of the flock to observe it. This will help lessen the potential of others getting it too. Never purchase a new flock member and place it immediately in your flock. ALWAYS isolate the new pullet or bird for 2 weeks, 4 weeks being better. Isolation means out of sight, out of touch, out of wind carriage.

A happy gut is a healthy gut and a plays a big part of their immune system. Placing apple cider vinegar (raw, with the "mother," never in a metal container) in the water, about 1TB per gallon, will help keep their gut acidic and with the proper flora. Also giving them plain yogurt will help with that as well. A strong immune system and gut flora can help keep the worm load down, as will regular changing of litter and refreshing of run soil with fresh bark or such as the next generation of worms is contained in the feces. Eventually you will need to look into your philosophy of worming. There are good articles on BYC for that.

As with children, limit their snacks (corn scratch) so they eat proper food (their chicken feed). Never feed them food you wouldn't eat yourself (due to spoilage) nor high sugar, salt or junk foods. Allow plenty of time to scratch in the yard for bugs. Always allow plenty of wing space. Crowded birds will become neurotic and sick. Listen to your flock. Cranky birds generally means something is amiss in food or environment.

Fresh air, good food and clean water, nice soil to scratch in, sunshine, and the ability to be free from the elements will make for happy hens and lots of healthy eggs.

Enjoy your new flock.
Lady of McCamley

 

[jcabral]

Red sex link pullets.

 

[Michael OShay]

Red sex link pullets.

I agree. You should get loads of eggs from those girls. )

 

[Kimberly27]

Thanks so much for all your help and info. I did get them from tractor supply, but they may have had them wrongly labeled, because none of the pictures I have seen of leghorns look like my flock. So excited for my new feathered girl family. The second picture from last. This chick is a bit darker than the rest and tail feathers are pointed a little more. It's demeanor is spunkyer than the rest also. This is why my guess was a roo, but I am perfectly happy with all pullets. How much longer do y'all feel they need to be under the heat lamp? The coop will be here next week I hope it will be plenty big enough for them when it comes.

 

[BantamLover21]

Red Sex-link pullets.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Red Sex-link pullets.

x2

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Chicks start at about 96 degrees under the heat lamp (use themometer) then raise the lamp slowly by 5 degrees until you get to ambient temperature usually by 6 weeks.

When they are all feathered in and at ambient temperature, you can place outdoors but watch the first week or so as you may need to bring indoors at night if the weather is cold.