new chicken owner and member HELP!

[meeerylou]

I just got 3 chickens last Sunday, and I wanted 3 hens; however, my husband got them to "surprise" me and I don't think I have 3 hens.

Q#1) I'd like to attach pix, but can't figure out how -HELP!!
Anyway, I don't know what they are, but one hen is laying an egg a day!

The other, I think, is a young rooster, not a hen, as I was told.

The third is younger than the other two, and is a different type/breed, and the other two have rejected it, pecking at it. I separated it from the other two, and it "cries" alot: not clucking, "crying" a kind of "koo" with a warble-sound like you get when you roll your tongue.

Anyway, I wanted 3 hens to lay eggs, but only one lays.
Q#2) How do I know a hen from a rooster and what breeds I have!!??

Q#3) Here's a novice question: do I need a rooster in order for my hens to lay eggs? I will attach a picture if I can figure out how to do so.

Thanks, in advance!
meee

 

[gritsar]

Welcome to BYC. I couldn't begin to answer your hen/rooster question for you; but about needing a roo, no you don't. The hens will lay just fine without a roo, the eggs just won't be fertile.
To upload pics, go to photobucket.com and sign up for a (free) account. Follow the instructions on that site for uploading them from your computer to photobucket acct. Once you have uploaded a pic, you will see links below the pic. Copy the link that says IMG code and paste it in your thread here. Good luck.

 

[meeerylou]

Thanks Gritsar!!!!

I will post my pix. PLEASE help me ID hens from roos and breed. Thank you!The darker, younger hen I can't ID, the others look like comets, but not golden... red and red and white mix.
The young one had to be isolated from the other 2 who were pecking it; mostly Big Red was doing the pecking!
It "koos" like it's crying and lonely. Do they need companionship?
Is it lonely?

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn19/meeerylou/100_1672.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn19/meeerylou/100_1671.jpg

 

[meeerylou]

Let me try again, here are pix again, for H E L P in I.D.'ing hens/roos and breeds!

Thanks for your help!

Meee

 

[rooster-red]

The first 2 are hens.
The 3rd is pretty hard to see in the pics, does it have spurs?

 

[meeerylou]

What are spurs??

I see a very slight "ridge" of flesh on top of it's beak, but very subtle, is that what you mean by spurs?

 

[rooster-red]

Spurs are on the legs above the foot, roosters have them and hens don't most of the time. I have 1 hen out of 27 that has small spurs but that isn't "normal"

 

[meeerylou]

Thanks; makes sense! Spurs are on the feet.

I don't know what they look like, though. It's dark out, now, so I'll have to look tomorrow.

I can't tell in my pix. I have more pix, but I don't know what I'm looking for.

Got any examples of pix of spurs I can see?

 

[gritsar]

They are flock animals, so they do get lonely. Any chance of getting it it's own friend?

 

[rooster-red]

Here is an adult rooster, you can see his sickle shaped spurs growing out of his leg. Also notice he has a large comb and wattles, the hackle or neck feathers are pointy.

Here he is again with an adult hen of the same breed, she has a smaller comb and wattles and no spurs, and her hackle feathers are rounded, her legs are also thinner.