HI there! New Member, new lover of chickens..:)

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FrogHill

In the Brooder
Jun 22, 2017
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Hi,
Im very new to the chicken community. I went to a livestock auction last Saturday and bought some chickens. I should have done more research because I have found out that they are gamefowl. I am ok with this but I have no idea what sex they are and have found that you need to seperate roosters. I have 6 chickens and have recently found that two of them are a spangled breed(very pretty). I am unsure of the others and could use lots of help. My parents got me started with them (they have ISA Browns, Rhode Island Reds and Bantams) I was browsing the web for help on sexing them when I came across BYC.
I started with a dog and kitten and have progressed to pigs and chickens. Loving the new to farm life and hoping to get more experienced.
 
Welcome to BYC.
Watch this then look for the "What Breed?Gender is this forum" and post pics of your birds there, we will all help you to sex them.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC! :frow

Game fowl are an interesting breed to keep. They can be a bit more aggressive, less human oriented, however they are still fun to keep. I do love the look of Games, they are a wonderful breed to keep!

You might stop by our What Breed and Gender section for help with the sexes, https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/what-breed-or-gender-is-this.15/

You might also stop by one of the Game Fowl threads for more help all around with them... https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/show-off-your-american-gamefowl.613455/

Good luck with your new birds and welcome to our roost! :)
 
Thank You All!!!
I can only access internet at certain times so it may take me a bit to reply.
 
Welcome to BYC! Game birds are a more challenging chicken to keep, as they can be flighty, prefer to free-range, can be more aggressive and not as easy to tame as a lap bird (if they're young, start working on handling them alot!) but I will say they seem more intelligent than you "average chicken!!"

I've already been raked over the coals for suggesting this about sexing your birds- so disclaimer: I am NOT talking about vent sexing as in squeezing the birds to make them poop and invert the vent. That is dangerous and best left to professionals handling day old chicks. Honestly, I don't much like the practice even if done correctly. I think its only purpose is "accuracy" and "efficiency."

However, if you gently hold your birds level with your face, them facing away from you, and look at their bums, you can gently brush your finger over their bum fuzz. They will begin moving their vents on their own in the typical puckering motions. Sometimes, you can spot a pimple (the papilla) on the inner upper lip of the vent as it moves in and out. If you see a pimple, (and if you've seen correctly) you have a cockerel. If it's absent, a pullet.


Again- I am NOT telling anyone to squeeze their birds or tamper with the vent. It could injure or kill the bird. Only observe. I think its much more humane than vent sexing in the current definition of the word.

You can also watch the bird's vent also while you let it sit in your lap if you are getting them used to you, if they don't tolerate being held in your hands at eye-level.
 

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