Identifying Roos - how long do I have...

[Prospector]

I have 10 Chanticler Chicks right now. Our plan at the outset was to keep about 4-6 birds, one rooster and as many hens as feasible.

I am now building our coop, and don't want to overbuild.

The plan was to sell the extra roosters, or if there was no interest to have them for dinner. Trouble is I don't want to end up with an over crowded coop and the pecking/fighting problems that come with that while I am waiting for the birds to manifest their sexes.

If I build the coop for our target flock size (lets say 6 birds, or 18 SF @ 3 SF per bird since we are in a northern climate) how long will I have before the birds are too crowded? Equally important, will I be able to sex them by then? The little guys are almost 2 weeks old and growing fast.

 

[mrbstephens]

I recommend that you overbuild anyway. People always seem to want more chickens and have to build on to accommodate. I'm no exception

.

 

[calicokat]

We were able to tell one of our chicks was a roo by about 4 weeks, maybe a little earlier. He developed a comb bigger than the others.

If you post pix on here, some more experienced folks might be able to sex them for you now even! These guys are good

 

[Prospector]

Quote:
IMHO overbuilding is dangerous since it represents more space for the birds to heat when we hit our late January cold snap. I would rather be right-sized than undersized or oversized. We have space and plans to add a second coop when needed.

I suppose I could move the excess birds into the second coop until they are sold, but I was hoping to defer that cost until next spring at least.

 

[Prospector]

Quote:
Chanty's are supposed to have a cushion comb, that's one of the reasons we bought the breed we did. I am not optimistic that comb development will be much of a help. If foot colouring is, then we have 2 with distinctly different coloured feet. There is also a couple that are whiter/yellower than others, but I doubt that helps much. Posting pics here is a good idea. I'll do that in a few weeks.