OlyChickenGuy
Songster
EDIT: Thank you for those showing concern and GIVING ADVICE ON HOW TO MAKE THINGS BETTER - Y'know, instead of just making assumptions. Sindri was given a bath immediately after these photos were taken, and I have taken him with me for Thanksgiving Day Weekend. He's perked up quite a bit just travelling - he's holding his tail higher, he's kept himself clean, he's had an increased interest in eating and drinking, etc.... He's always been a whole lot happier and perkier when it's just him and me. I would love to take current photos of him to compare, but all I have is a mediocre-at-best web-camera on my laptop that only works some of the time to begin with.
So, I have a chicken that looks like a boy, but has a few quirky characteristics, and has started making those pre-egg-laying screeches that my girls in-lay make, and recently begun doing "egg-squats"! I'm also not 100% on his breed. I wish we got photos of his mate before she passed away, but alas we did not! They look liked Japanese to me - and VERY distinctly like an immature pairing ( about five months old, I guessed ), except the girl had muffs and five toes on each foot like a Silkie or a Sultan - but clean-legged! She had the same colouration as Sindri here. I came into possession of Sindri when his mate passed away, and he's been a little buddy of mine ever since. He even goes travelling with me!
But enough of that! I apologize for how disgustingly dirty he is in the following photos - he likes to muck around in gross things, and I gave him a bath shortly afterwards, but my friend with the camera was leaving in minutes, so we had to hurry and take pictures.
So, you tell me! Boy or girl? Looks like a boy, and he's crowed twice - but ONLY twice in his life, and not even recently. He crowed when I first got him and forgot to put him on his perch one night, and he crowed a second time in response to me listening to a recording of a multitude of roosters crowing. Otherwise, he's nearly silent. He's never mounted any of his flock-mates, unlike my Rhode Island ( 1/4 barred Plymouth Rock ) boy, who likes to mate whenever the opportunity arises. He is so passive, that he's been beat up by day-old chicks! He also loves falling asleep on my chest, and makes little cooing / purring noises when he's really getting into me petting him.
Note: His comb, wattles, and spur buds haven't grown AT ALL since I met him.
Anyway, here's the pictures!
Look at those neck feathers, those saddle feathers, those sickle feathers! I can't tell if the lump on the back of his leg is his back toe or a spur bud, but he has tiny spur buds. But he's got a tiny comb and itty wattles that are generally a light pinkish colour, even when he spends a good deal of time outside. He should be about eight months old at my youngest estimate of his age, as I procured him nearly five months ago from an auction in which I estimated him to be four to six months old.. He looked pretty much like this when I got him.
Here's his tail! It's quite dirty in this picture, but when clean it's nice and full, and looks pretty much like a Japanese tail should. He doesn't often hold it up, though - he usually holds it down and behind him, just barely not dragging on the ground. He'll hold his tail up when something interesting catches his eye like a beetle or sometimes when I take him to a new environment, and he's begun exploring. Look at those saddle feathers, though!
Here's a close-up of his face! For a Japanese he sure has a small comb and wattles. I've entertained the idea, though, considering his mate, that they could have some Favorelles in them, which MIGHT contribute to smaller comb and wattles? His mate certainly had smaller comb and wattles than he.
This is a photo of his dirty, dirty foot with a picture that I edited ( yes, in MS Paint - I was also practising line work ) next to it to really show the spur-bud. Unfortunately, the photo did not seem to focus on the spur-bud so much as his foot.
And lastly, a photo of him from above, so you can really see those long, slender, pointy feathers on his neck and rump! Look at how poofy his neck looks - much like the male Japanese, but unlike the female Japanese!
AND YET, he has begun making egg-squawks, and doing egg-squats! His comb and wattles are tiny, and his face is pale! At the youngest, he is eight months old!! I procured him nearly fives months ago when he looked more or less like this, and I estimated him being about four to six months old. He is SUPER quiet, really snuggly, and NOT aggressive AT ALL ( which is NOT unheard of for roosters, but still worth noting ). He has shown NO interest in mating, and has not even TRIED to mount any hens or pullets. He also seems to prefer my company and being alone to the company of my other chickens, albeit he connects up with Mop and Liza ( a Sizzle and a Silkie, respectively ) from time to time, hangs out with them, then goes back to hiding in a corner. He was REALLY happen when I took him on a road trip, and then I left him in his kennel when I returned home, facing so he could see the other chickens, and he was totally happy with that. Gained weight, actually!
I love him dearly regardless of what he is, but he is certainly confusing me royally! I hope SOMEONE out there knows what's going on with my little boy! ... Who may or may not ACTUALLY be a boy.
So, I have a chicken that looks like a boy, but has a few quirky characteristics, and has started making those pre-egg-laying screeches that my girls in-lay make, and recently begun doing "egg-squats"! I'm also not 100% on his breed. I wish we got photos of his mate before she passed away, but alas we did not! They look liked Japanese to me - and VERY distinctly like an immature pairing ( about five months old, I guessed ), except the girl had muffs and five toes on each foot like a Silkie or a Sultan - but clean-legged! She had the same colouration as Sindri here. I came into possession of Sindri when his mate passed away, and he's been a little buddy of mine ever since. He even goes travelling with me!
But enough of that! I apologize for how disgustingly dirty he is in the following photos - he likes to muck around in gross things, and I gave him a bath shortly afterwards, but my friend with the camera was leaving in minutes, so we had to hurry and take pictures.
So, you tell me! Boy or girl? Looks like a boy, and he's crowed twice - but ONLY twice in his life, and not even recently. He crowed when I first got him and forgot to put him on his perch one night, and he crowed a second time in response to me listening to a recording of a multitude of roosters crowing. Otherwise, he's nearly silent. He's never mounted any of his flock-mates, unlike my Rhode Island ( 1/4 barred Plymouth Rock ) boy, who likes to mate whenever the opportunity arises. He is so passive, that he's been beat up by day-old chicks! He also loves falling asleep on my chest, and makes little cooing / purring noises when he's really getting into me petting him.
Note: His comb, wattles, and spur buds haven't grown AT ALL since I met him.
Anyway, here's the pictures!
Look at those neck feathers, those saddle feathers, those sickle feathers! I can't tell if the lump on the back of his leg is his back toe or a spur bud, but he has tiny spur buds. But he's got a tiny comb and itty wattles that are generally a light pinkish colour, even when he spends a good deal of time outside. He should be about eight months old at my youngest estimate of his age, as I procured him nearly five months ago from an auction in which I estimated him to be four to six months old.. He looked pretty much like this when I got him.
Here's his tail! It's quite dirty in this picture, but when clean it's nice and full, and looks pretty much like a Japanese tail should. He doesn't often hold it up, though - he usually holds it down and behind him, just barely not dragging on the ground. He'll hold his tail up when something interesting catches his eye like a beetle or sometimes when I take him to a new environment, and he's begun exploring. Look at those saddle feathers, though!
Here's a close-up of his face! For a Japanese he sure has a small comb and wattles. I've entertained the idea, though, considering his mate, that they could have some Favorelles in them, which MIGHT contribute to smaller comb and wattles? His mate certainly had smaller comb and wattles than he.
This is a photo of his dirty, dirty foot with a picture that I edited ( yes, in MS Paint - I was also practising line work ) next to it to really show the spur-bud. Unfortunately, the photo did not seem to focus on the spur-bud so much as his foot.
And lastly, a photo of him from above, so you can really see those long, slender, pointy feathers on his neck and rump! Look at how poofy his neck looks - much like the male Japanese, but unlike the female Japanese!
AND YET, he has begun making egg-squawks, and doing egg-squats! His comb and wattles are tiny, and his face is pale! At the youngest, he is eight months old!! I procured him nearly fives months ago when he looked more or less like this, and I estimated him being about four to six months old. He is SUPER quiet, really snuggly, and NOT aggressive AT ALL ( which is NOT unheard of for roosters, but still worth noting ). He has shown NO interest in mating, and has not even TRIED to mount any hens or pullets. He also seems to prefer my company and being alone to the company of my other chickens, albeit he connects up with Mop and Liza ( a Sizzle and a Silkie, respectively ) from time to time, hangs out with them, then goes back to hiding in a corner. He was REALLY happen when I took him on a road trip, and then I left him in his kennel when I returned home, facing so he could see the other chickens, and he was totally happy with that. Gained weight, actually!
I love him dearly regardless of what he is, but he is certainly confusing me royally! I hope SOMEONE out there knows what's going on with my little boy! ... Who may or may not ACTUALLY be a boy.
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