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Welcome to BYC
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Tell us a bit about yourself and your flock :-)
 
Hey! Can't believe I'm still up...on chicken duty in a few hrs. Not to mention the kids as well. I have about 50 chickens. 20 standard 2 of them roosters.i also have chicks and polish and silkies, banty Cochins and showgirls. I'm also about to incubate 60 eggs.y flave chicken is cotton. The
Guy on my pic, he meets the standard breed perfection.
 
sumi said:
Welcome to BYC :frow  Tell us a bit about yourself and your flock :-)
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Well I've had my 2 chickens (hens well I think) for about 6 months and just got a new baby chicken, I've been using this website because I some questions.
 
I have a few questions…1) how do you stop the older chickens hurting the little? 2) how do you know the difference between a roosters and hens
 
1. If the little one is old enough to go/stay outside, keep it in a separate area in the coop and/or run from where it can see the older chickens and they can see it. Keep it there until it's around 3-4 months old and let it out with the hens. By that time they should be used to each other and the older ones will hopefully accept it without too much hassle. There may still be some pecking and bullying as the youngster will need to be put in it's place in the pecking order, but unless it's excessive and/or blood is drawn let them sort it out. It would also be handy to have a safe area in the run where the little one can go hide from the hens if it feels the need to. It would be easier for the little one now and when integration comes, if you can get it a buddy of around the same age to grow up with. It's much easier to introduce more than one chicken at a time to an existing flock.

2. Roosters generally have noticeably bigger combs and wattles than hens, different body shapes (certain breed's roosters are much more "lean" where the hens are more full bodied) and you can tell by their feathers as well. Roosters generally have more prolific tail feather development and their saddle feathers differ from hens'. (Saddle feathers are the feathers that extend off the back of the chicken, before the tail.) In most cases roosters will have long pointed saddle feathers and hens will have short rounded ones. By now (6 months) if your chickens haven't started crowing yet, I think it's safe to assume they are hens! And of course, if you see eggs.

If you want opinions on the sex(es) of your chickens you are welcome to post some clear pics of them in the What Breed Or Gender is This? forum section.
 

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