Hi group. I have a question about roosters.
I bought three Delaware chicks awhile back with the hope that one might be a rooster and I could breed them at least once. The one confirmed female got sick and died. Of the two remaining, I'm 99.9% sure one is a rooster. I think the other one might be a male also but that depends on the day, season, weather conditions, time, astrological alignments ... etc. Some days I'm convinced he is a she and other days I'm dreading that she may be a he and it's making me crazy
.
These two Del's are about five weeks old (the source has no idea when they were acquired but they did hatch on the same day). I think they're old enough for an educated guess at least. The 99.9% rooster is much bigger than the other Del, has a big red comb and is sprouting wattles. No crow yet but some raspy squawks--especially when he hears crows or hawks flying over--and he's already herding all the girls around like a pro with the exception of my top-of-the-totem-pole Speckled Sussex who pecks him if he tries to make her do anything (she's stubborn). He's also growing what looks like it could be be a pretty nice tail. He's not mean and was spoiled as a baby (still is). He eats out of my hand and he's probably going to be a great rooster. Now, the other one is different. He/she is much smaller, has no tail of any kind, and has a smallish pinky/red comb in comparison. He/she is not very dominant at all but will square off with the other Delaware if he gets too pushy and stands his/her ground. He/she isn't growing feathers very well compared to the other chicks. He/she also miraculously survived an illness and a broken leg simultaneously. That might be why the feathers are stunted. He/she was on death's doorstep multiple times and is now doing fine other than having a very subtle "funny walk" that most people don't notice until I tell them what to look for. In addition, this is my very favorite chicken. I am extremely attached, to put it mildly. He/she loves me, sits in my lap, runs up to my feet every time I go outside, tries to follow me into the house at bedtime every night ... etc.
I have ten chicks of varying but close ages, total. One is a rooster and one might be. It's too early to tell with my little Buff Orps. They all live in a big coop/enclosed run combo that will be expanded even more this Summer once I have all the potted herbs and landscaping I want for them growing well. I might let them free-range out back in the future but there is dense forest, a highway and there are lots of predators including bad dogs that worse neighbors don't control so it's a big maybe.
The first set of pictures are the 99.9% rooster. His name is Targaryen. The second set are he?/she? with no proper name yet. I call him/her Stumpy for now (hopefully it doesn't stick). There are also some pictures of the two together to show the contrast. Like I said, these two are the same age (around five weeks) and their sizes are very different. If I was comparing Stumpy to one of my other chickens I would think the comb seems pretty red. Compared to Targaryen though, it's not.
Soooo ... basically ... do I have two Delaware roosters? If so, should I or can I have two roosters?
Or will it be chaos and bloody fighting when they reach maturity? I know it depends on individual personalities but I'm just looking for overall likelihood at this point. I love them both but, if pressed, I'll pick Stumpy every time. I know Targaryen is much better looking (for now) and has all the makings of an excellent flock guardian but I could never let Stumpy go. Stumpy is my little miracle lap chicken.
Am I right about Targaryen being a rooster? Can anyone tell if Stumpy is a boy or a girl with any degree of certainty? If they're both roosters, is there any hope of managing my flock in harmony?
Thanks for looking and for any advice/thoughts.
- Woods Witch
Targaryen #1 (about 5 weeks):
Targaryen #2:
Targaryen #3:
Targaryen #4:
Stumpy #1 (about 5 weeks):
Stumpy #2:
Stumpy #3:
Stumpy #4:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #1:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #2:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #3:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #4:
I bought three Delaware chicks awhile back with the hope that one might be a rooster and I could breed them at least once. The one confirmed female got sick and died. Of the two remaining, I'm 99.9% sure one is a rooster. I think the other one might be a male also but that depends on the day, season, weather conditions, time, astrological alignments ... etc. Some days I'm convinced he is a she and other days I'm dreading that she may be a he and it's making me crazy
These two Del's are about five weeks old (the source has no idea when they were acquired but they did hatch on the same day). I think they're old enough for an educated guess at least. The 99.9% rooster is much bigger than the other Del, has a big red comb and is sprouting wattles. No crow yet but some raspy squawks--especially when he hears crows or hawks flying over--and he's already herding all the girls around like a pro with the exception of my top-of-the-totem-pole Speckled Sussex who pecks him if he tries to make her do anything (she's stubborn). He's also growing what looks like it could be be a pretty nice tail. He's not mean and was spoiled as a baby (still is). He eats out of my hand and he's probably going to be a great rooster. Now, the other one is different. He/she is much smaller, has no tail of any kind, and has a smallish pinky/red comb in comparison. He/she is not very dominant at all but will square off with the other Delaware if he gets too pushy and stands his/her ground. He/she isn't growing feathers very well compared to the other chicks. He/she also miraculously survived an illness and a broken leg simultaneously. That might be why the feathers are stunted. He/she was on death's doorstep multiple times and is now doing fine other than having a very subtle "funny walk" that most people don't notice until I tell them what to look for. In addition, this is my very favorite chicken. I am extremely attached, to put it mildly. He/she loves me, sits in my lap, runs up to my feet every time I go outside, tries to follow me into the house at bedtime every night ... etc.
I have ten chicks of varying but close ages, total. One is a rooster and one might be. It's too early to tell with my little Buff Orps. They all live in a big coop/enclosed run combo that will be expanded even more this Summer once I have all the potted herbs and landscaping I want for them growing well. I might let them free-range out back in the future but there is dense forest, a highway and there are lots of predators including bad dogs that worse neighbors don't control so it's a big maybe.
The first set of pictures are the 99.9% rooster. His name is Targaryen. The second set are he?/she? with no proper name yet. I call him/her Stumpy for now (hopefully it doesn't stick). There are also some pictures of the two together to show the contrast. Like I said, these two are the same age (around five weeks) and their sizes are very different. If I was comparing Stumpy to one of my other chickens I would think the comb seems pretty red. Compared to Targaryen though, it's not.
Soooo ... basically ... do I have two Delaware roosters? If so, should I or can I have two roosters?
Am I right about Targaryen being a rooster? Can anyone tell if Stumpy is a boy or a girl with any degree of certainty? If they're both roosters, is there any hope of managing my flock in harmony?
Thanks for looking and for any advice/thoughts.
- Woods Witch
Targaryen #1 (about 5 weeks):
Targaryen #2:
Targaryen #3:
Targaryen #4:
Stumpy #1 (about 5 weeks):
Stumpy #2:
Stumpy #3:
Stumpy #4:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #1:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #2:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #3:
Stumpy (right) and Targaryen (left) together #4:
