is my Buff Orpington a hen?

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I'm less concerned about the breed, and much more concerned about the gender. For now, I guess I'll just have to do the waiting game and see how she develops.

But I'm still interested in hearing more comments, so fire away!

Waddles? If he calls them waddles he is not any kind of authority on chickens. They are wattles. I suspect he bought from a suspect seller and is in turn selling chickens of unknown background. And cockerals usually get pink combs and wattles before pullets.

Either way, you got some pretty birds!

 

[CalebtheChicken]

It's not an orpington! those yellow legs say it's a buff plymouth rock. Also I think it's a pullet.

 

[Chris09]

It is not a Buff Orpington It is a Buff Rock...

Buff Orpingtons have White Legs.
Buff Rocks have Yellow Legs..


Chris

 

[Firearia]

Not necessarily a roo. BOs are really hard to tell, occasionally you'll get the masculine looking one that freaks you out when it lays an egg. To me though, it looks like you have a pullet.

EDIT: Maybe you have a cross there because of the leg colour? Maybe she's not a pure bred and some random gene popped up from previous breedings... She does look like a buff rock a tiny bit. But I thought buff rocks were a bit darker in colouring.

 

[ninakat53]

Thanks for all your comments. I'm still thinking she'll be a hen. Fingers crossed since she's my favorite. But, if she turns out to be a Lola (Kinks song), that's ok too. No discrimination here! But I'll return him to the farm in that case, and fortunately it's a great farm so he'll be well taken care of.... and I can visit!!

Firearia, interesting suggestion that she might not be a pure breed. I'm not too concerned about the breed though -- both Buff Orpingtons and Plymouth Rocks are good layers, from what I've read, with similar dispositions. She's definitely a sweety.

 

[Jeeper1540]

I would say hen, and i just want you all who said by the comb, to look at this pic of my Buff Orp HEN

She has always had a big comb, even when she was a baby.

ETA: By the way, here are my other 2 buff orps, see what a small comb they have

 

[henney penny]

I have the same problem,see the three buffs?One has yellow legs so I was told that its a buff rock,but I don`t see any black on the tips of the tail feathers.The others are one RIR and two Faverolles

 

[ninakat53]

Jeeper1540, wow thanks for that shot of your HEN. Yes!!! There's hope!!!

And, henney penny, glad I'm not the only one with a BO who has a "problem" (yellow legs). I'm beginning to think that genetic diversity can really result in a lot of... well, diversity.

 

[ninakat53]

Just following up to let you all know that Pei Pei turned out to be a rooster after all. One day he started crowing and that was that! He was my favorite bird too, so it was sad taking him back to the farm. Out of the five chicks I raised, 2 turned out to be roosters. Not a very good average for my first time ever raising chickens, eh? Oh well, the farm was great about receiving them back, and now I have two beautiful Golden Comets, 6 weeks old. Total hens: 5 -- 1 Ameraucana, 1 Black Star, 1 Australorp, 2 Golden Comets. The first three are almost to the laying stage -- shouldn't be long now, just a few weeks.

 

[slackwater]

So sorry! But at least the farm let you trade them in!