I really appreciate your guesses Pipd. I do not know enough about the breeds to be sure myself. The MFd was confusing me. I currently have one OEGB roo and 7 girls. I can't keep all four boys, so if I were going to keep one of them, which would be a good choice?
No problem.
The best scenario would be if you could raise them all out to about a year old. That's when their hormones usually settle down and you can determine who is going to be too rough with your girls, who's going to be aggressive to you and your family, and who will get along with the boy you already have. However, since that's probably not plausible, I would go with either the d'Uccle or the Welsummer. I have never had a good experience with Easter-egger roosters and it seems like most of them I read about are too aggressive. I would lean toward the d'Uccle, since he's a bantam and wouldn't be as much of a danger to your current boy, also being a bantam. I've heard good things about d'Uccle boys, so he should work out well. I've not heard anything bad about Welly boys, either, so it'll have to be up to your preference in the end.
I would suggest, however, that you stop handling the boys for the most part.
Except in very rare occasions, boys who are handled a lot as chicks tend to be more human aggressive.
[rule][COLOR=330099]
CRSelvey ~[/COLOR] [COLOR=8B4513]Your chicks are
so sweet looking[/COLOR]
[COLOR=8B4513]-- even all those roos that
Pipd sexed for you! What a nice service provided, though. I sure wish I knew what my silkies were. One of them has TONS of feathers on its feet. I don't know if that's bad or good or negligible. [/COLOR]:/
Silkies are notoriously difficult to sex until at least 8 weeks old, but I'm sure someone can help you if you post pictures. I had a heck of a time with my silkie, Marge, who I thought was a boy for sure based on her crest (and the fact that she beat the tar out of a cockerel I had with her during quarantine!). Not sure if I'd be any help with yours.
I don't think leg feathering has anything to do with male vs. female, though. That has more to do with genetics than with sex.
Okay someone tell we what this craziness means. My LF cochin Lavender (the broody one from last fall) has stopped going out with the flock. She stay up on things all the time now. The alpacas hay boxes, the stall walls, the brooder box, anything to keep herself off of the floor. She hates the roosters. At least thats what Im gathering. She hasn't been over mated like a couple of my girls have who still hang with the flock. I put her out with everyone today to see what would happen. As soon as my LF cochin Blueberry saw her, he bee lined for her at a full run. As funny as it is to see a giant fluffy cochin rooster run, I wasnt laughing when he chased her right back into the barn. Its as if she isnt allowed to be with the flock free ranging. They dont bother her at all when she is in that barn up on her roosts, but she can't go out with everyone because the boys wont let her. DO you guys think the dynamic will change in her favor when the EE pullets get let into the flock? Thinkgs have been different for Lavender since she brooded her babies last fall. She is very submissive and being away from the flock put her immediately on the bottom of the pecking order. Any thoughts?
My first thought was that your boys are not being aggressive toward her, but are more 'interested' in her than she is in them, if you catch my drift. That would explain why they don't bother her when she's roosted up somewhere as well. Without actually observing their behavior, though, I couldn't tell you for sure. My only thought would be to let the boys cool their heels in a separate pen so that Lavender can come down and forage, but then if you rely on those boys for predator protection, that doesn't much help you out to pen them. I'm not sure what else can be done to help her, poor girl. :/
Top 4..I think he's a boy. Look at how his feathers are growing in. Also was told it's a splash. Opinion?
Here's the girl...She's supposed to be splash. I think she's white.
What breed are they? The thing you have to remember is that
not every breed can be sexed by feather growth. This is a sexlinked trait that
must be bred specifically for. So you will most likely have to wait until they are 5-6 weeks old before you can tell for sure male from female.
It seems like my splash hen, Frou-Frou, was somewhat blueish as a chick, which leads me to believe that your chicks are white and not splash. However, having only ever had one splash chick, I'm not gonna say that for sure.
She kept trying to get closer by stepping on the mouse pad. She had all kinds of things on the screen, so I just put it on BYC.
I seen them again tonight and still about the same number of chicks in the brooder! you need a few more
