Hi guys :) here are some pictures from my hatch, PLEASE try determine my roo's and pullets? :)

amberconvery626

In the Brooder
7 Years
Oct 1, 2012
13
0
22
Hey guys
roll.png


Okay so I made a homemade incubator and wanted to test it out with a very small amount of eggs just for fun, as we wanted them as pets to keep in the garden. Out of the 6 or 7 that were fertile, 4 hatched. The rest died in the first week of incubation after a really bad temperature spike
barnie.gif
(we candelled them every day) Anyway, the four that hatched are thriving and doing just great
celebrate.gif
. We are hoping we can keep all four as we are really attached to them, and the roo's shouldn't really be an issue we hope, but we know that more than 1 roo in a flock of so few could lead to problems... Anyway. I know the best and only fail-proof way of sexing the little guys is to just wait and see when they grow up, but just out of interests sake and in the meantime while I wait, I'd like to get your guys opinions and which you think are roo's and which are pullets... As I said, they are just short of 3 weeks old (Hatched on the 31st of October and 1st of November - I had halloween babies
thumbsup.gif
)

There is one whom I am almost certain is a roo.. I just have this feeling. It always perched higher than the others and its comb is very slighty larger, and its legs are far thicker, but at the same time, I just can't be sure. I also read somewhere that the roos will generally chirp loudly if one of the other chicks is out of the brooder, and whenever I take one out to cuddle, he/she goes crazy. BUT, his/her feathers are a bit more developed than the others... Tried to feather sex but not too sure what to look for and don't think it can anyway be done with my lot
smile.png


Anyway... I will start with the one I think is a roo, Harley... He is also slightly bigger than the others. He is a cuckoo maran.









This is Basil... My only rhode island red that hatched out. I can't decide if I think he's a roo or a pullet. I'm swaying towards a roo, but think it's just because he looked like my old pet rooster I hatched out...










This next one is Cadbury, also a cuckoo maran. Got a feeling this one is a pullet. Her head is far rounder and she is much more subdued and compared to Harley, she cowars in stance whereas Harley stands tall with his chest out.






Lastly, this is Ringo. I have NO idea what to think on his/her sex. This is the only one I have no hunch about. It's extremely shy so I haven't really gotten to know it... It's also a cuckoo maran, and is our only one with dark legs.. (I've heard this is a male characteristic?) Unfortunately I haven't got great photos of Ringo, he's very dark so difficult to photography in indoor light.







And lastly, here are a few photos of them together... Excuse the mess in their brooder, this was just prior to cleaning it out (They can seriously make a hell of a mess in that thing, especially considering that their brooder box is 1mx80cm for just the 4 of them!)


Above: Cadbury at the very back, Basil is the yellow one, Harley next to Basil and Ringo on the floor in front of Cadbury...


Above: Cadbury (brown one), Ringo (black one), Harley (perched on the box in the corner)


ABove: Basil (yellow one), Harley


Above: Basil (yellow one, Harley


Anyway, those are my kiddies :) This is more just for interests sakes as I've been pondering since day 1! Let me know what you all think :) I'd love to know! :D

P.s Is it normal that they can fly already?!
ep.gif


Thanks for any input guys, much appreciated! :D

Amber
 
My guesses:

Harley: Roo
Basil: Roo
Cadbury: Pullet
Ringo: Roo!

Love the names. My chicken kids could fly around from about 2 weeks, but it got really bad at 4 weeks
lol.png
That's when they kept escaping from the brooder...
 
Harley: Roo
Basil: Roo
Cadbury: Pullet, but I don't think that's a cuckoo marans
Ringo: Leaning towards pullet but not sure yet: post some more pics of her as she grows :)
 
Eeee, really hope you guys are wrong about my roo's (no offense
hugs.gif
) but deep down I know you are most probably right
sad.png
I really hope they are not trouble makers, in which case we can keep them because Harley and Basil are my two FAVORITES!

What do you think cadbury is then if not a cuckoo? :) You could be right, I just got the eggs from a farm and he told me that the 5 on the left side of the egg box were CM and the 5 on the right were RIR, but he could well have been wrong :) I also thought Cadbury looked different! We named them when they were still in the eggs so we could determine each egg from the other so we wrote in pencil a name for each egg. Cadbury, as you can see, is the only brown one and seeing as that is a chocolate brand, we hit square on with his name! :D Will keep watching Ringo as he/she grows... :)
 
You only have one cuckoo colored bird, that first little roo. The others could be mixed marans, or really who knows? They kinda look like generic chicks at this point, when they're fully feathered they may be more easily identified.
As for sex I agree with the majority. But post pics again in 3-4 weeks and we'll have a better idea.
 
Eeee, really hope you guys are wrong about my roo's (no offense
hugs.gif
) but deep down I know you are most probably right
sad.png
I really hope they are not trouble makers, in which case we can keep them because Harley and Basil are my two FAVORITES!

What do you think cadbury is then if not a cuckoo? :) You could be right, I just got the eggs from a farm and he told me that the 5 on the left side of the egg box were CM and the 5 on the right were RIR, but he could well have been wrong :) I also thought Cadbury looked different! We named them when they were still in the eggs so we could determine each egg from the other so we wrote in pencil a name for each egg. Cadbury, as you can see, is the only brown one and seeing as that is a chocolate brand, we hit square on with his name! :D Will keep watching Ringo as he/she grows... :)
Hmm...maybe a barnevelder?
 
really interesting to read :) I saw the chickens the guys had at the farm, and he only had rhode island reds and cuckoo marans, maybe the other 2 are a mix?

Also, how do you guys know that Basil is a roo and Cadbury a pullet, and what makes you think Ringo is more a roo? :) I can see easily that Harley looks like a roo, but Basil not as much. Are you guys 100% sure Basil is a roo or is it just a guess?

Thanks so much for all your input, really appreciate it! :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom