I think my hens are roosters!!

[Fletcher]

I hope this stikes someone else as a little funny. Back in April I bought 6 assorted pullets at TSC. We have two distinct looks to our birds. I opened the McMurray catalog to page 16 and took a look at the Barred Rocks. 3 of my girls look like the bird on the left and 3 of them look like the bird on the right. When you pick yourself up off the floor, please confirm or deny my suspicions. Thanks.
(Shaking my head in disbelief and wonder. How do they sex chicks anyway?)

 

[gritsar]

Give us some pics and we'll see who belongs on the right and who belongs on the left.

 

[Reinbeau]

You need to post their photos in the What Breed/Gender forum - there's plenty of people who can help you confirm. They're of an age it should be obvious by now!

 

[Fletcher]

I know, I know, everybody wants pics! I can't get the pics from the camera to the computer, the rest would be easy.

I apologize for not being descriptive enough. 3 of my "hens" have a single comb and longer wattles. They look exactly like the picture of the Barred Rock rooster in the catalog. 3 of my "hens" hae the smaller comb and wattles like the picture of the Barred Rock hen. At least one of my 6 chickens is a girl because we've been getting an egg a day for a week and a half.

I had planned to maintain a closed flock with these 6 chickens. Now I'm not sure what to do. Do I build 2 more coops and get 4 more hens so each boy is happy? Do I eat 2 of the roosters? Do I get 2 more hens or live with 3? Do I get a Silkie and let her be broody to Barred Rock eggs? I tried to explain to my dd that 10 chickens isn't that many! She kept saying, "Small scale, Mom. Hobby Farm. Small scale."

I'm disappointed that I didn't get what I paid for, but I'm also trying to see the humor in this. It's an adventure and more fodder for my blog. Thanks for listening to me. So, only 3 of my pets give me breakfast, oh well!

 

[new2chix]

We got into the backyard chicken thing last spring through our local TSC - the chicks were so cute! We picked 8 "pullets" and lo and behold we ended up with 7 roos and 1 hen! We recently found a home for all but my favorite rooster and the hen, and will be adding a few more hens from a friend to complete our flock. Too many roos is NOT fun! Good luck.