My pullet just crowed :(

[chixie]

I am sorry he turned out to be a roo

 

[HBuehler]

Don't you just hate it when that happens

we had one do that last week.Had been suspecting it(saddle feathers and all but for what I paid for this pullet it was going to be a pullet!!) but not wanting to set that thought in stone until he said the dreaded now instead of eggs I'm seeing BBQ

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

I have a feeling "Duck" will end up being another member of the family. He is a good looking mutt... I'm kind of attached. It happens so quickly!!

Go Chickens!

 

[Lil Chickie Mama]

Quote:
Don't underestimate your bantams. Mine seem to have short-man-syndrome. My 3 standard boys never get any nookie even with the big girls because my 2 bantam guys are top roos and always attack them if they try to get some from any of the girls. What's funny is the bantam boys are still too small to do much with the standard girls and on the rare occasion they try they get kicked off, but sure enough, they still protect them!

 

[cactus-hen]

I hatched out 24 chicks from a mixed flock of mostly easter eggers, a barred rock and 2 white hens. Out of that I got 9 EE roosters, 2 white pullets, 2 barred rock pullets and the rest were EE pullets. Didn't need all the roosters so at about 20 weeks old we spent one day butchering all the roosters. One week later "Betty" started crowing. Within three weeks his comb and wattles started to grow, along with tail and hackle feathers. Betty became Bob. I have no idea why he didn't show signs of his roosterhood earlier. I've had other barred rock roos that are fully mature looking at twenty weeks old. I so admired his chameleon survival skills that I re-homed him. He is now the proud rooster of a flock of 4 hens.

 

[farmin'chick]

I vote roo -- see the saddle feathers coming out right in front of his tail, how they're getting long and pointy???

 

[lamelde]

About what age - will you know if you have hen's or roo's?

 

[farmin'chick]

It depends on what breed you have -- Some you can tell at birth, as cockerels and pullets are different colors. Some you can tell at development by the 6th week or so. Some you have to wait until they either start to crow or lay eggs!

Clues are: Larger, fuller comb; Pointy hackle feathers; Saddle feathers (also grow long and pointy) Tail feathers -- boys usually get the curly sickle feathers. I have a 26 wk old RIR roo that still doesn't have his sickle feathers and doesn't crow, but he's definitely a roo.

 

[LovinMyPeeps]

Oh he is SOOO roo. He looked at me and crowed this morning. I just laugh and said "yah duck, I'll go grab the granola" He is sweet and protective of his hen so... guess he's a keeper. He is gentle with me but puffed up when my cat walked past the kennel so he's got the traits you want in a roo. We'll see what happens when he gets introduced to the flock in a few weeks...