North Carolina

[CricketR4]

chickens don't change sex, but hens can crow or grow male features like hackle and saddle feathers and spurs. Hens that do ALL these changes tend to stop laying eggs, but can not fertilize other hens as a true rooster can do. I have a few hens that have spurs, but they still lays eggs. I think Boots is just a late bloomer as this tends to happen sometimes when there are other more mature roosters around. Now if you look on here you will see hermaphrodite chickens that have both sex organs. These chickens tend to look like one chicken on one side and a whole different chicken on the other side, very neat birds!

I agree that chickens don't actually change sex. I meant that as in: was it possible to have had a damaged/injured ovary at only 9 months old, and that might cause the larger comb/wattles and the crowing to start. However, after reading up on bantams and cochins and hens that go through that process, since my original post yesterday, I'm very convinced that we just have a very low on the totem pole, slow to develop rooster. Just not sure what I'm going to do with two roosters now... I don't want them to start fighting like Dick did with Harry before we sent Harry to freezer camp.

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

ONLY 4 WEEKS left until baby Lucian arrives. (or is supposed to) I've been way too busy for my own good, but I guess thats what I get for waiting. Just wanted to check in a say HELLO to everyone! happy hump day~!

We are all hoping everything goes smoothly for the baby, her and you!! Being busy is good...having too much time on your hands is dangerous...then you start to look at other types of chickens or ducks or other fowl and start figuring out ways to have them as well...and things you could build...and things you absolutely DON'T need but are SURE you need!! LOL I'm going to say an early CONGRATULATIONS in case Lucian decides to come a bit early!

 

[LukesCityHens]

We are all hoping everything goes smoothly for the baby, her and you!! Being busy is good...having too much time on your hands is dangerous...then you start to look at other types of chickens or ducks or other fowl and start figuring out ways to have them as well...and things you could build...and things you absolutely DON'T need but are SURE you need!! LOL I'm going to say an early CONGRATULATIONS in case Lucian decides to come a bit early!

Thanks!!! The doc actually said he looks quite comfortable and will most likely be late.....I could use the extra time but I'm ready to see his big headed self!

 

[ramirezframing]

I agree that chickens don't actually change sex. I meant that as in: was it possible to have had a damaged/injured ovary at only 9 months old, and that might cause the larger comb/wattles and the crowing to start. However, after reading up on bantams and cochins and hens that go through that process, since my original post yesterday, I'm very convinced that we just have a very low on the totem pole, slow to develop rooster. Just not sure what I'm going to do with two roosters now... I don't want them to start fighting like Dick did with Harry before we sent Harry to freezer camp.

I have had great luck with having more than one rooster in a pen. I normally let a younger one grow up in the pen with the older one already there. There will be some fighting to set who is the main rooster, but most of the time its short and not bloody. If there is blood, all the chickens in that pen will go after it and keep pecking at it making it worse, so I remove the bloody one. Vary few roosters have tried to fight to the death, most of them get eaten, Killer (DH's rooster) is the only one who has escaped the pot for killing other chickens. Gotta let the man have one or two of his own since I got a lot more

Killer stays in his own pen and had been by himself for a year or two before I put a mean hen in with him who was also killing other chickens. I figured that if they killed each other it wasn't a big loss as I haven't been able to get fertilized eggs from her anyways. Well I guess its a match made somewhere cause they haven't killed each other or even fought once.

The hen is a silkie and Killer is a game cross. Good luck with yours

 

[CricketR4]

I have had great luck with having more than one rooster in a pen. I normally let a younger one grow up in the pen with the older one already there. There will be some fighting to set who is the main rooster, but most of the time its short and not bloody. If there is blood, all the chickens in that pen will go after it and keep pecking at it making it worse, so I remove the bloody one. Vary few roosters have tried to fight to the death, most of them get eaten, Killer (DH's rooster) is the only one who has escaped the pot for killing other chickens. Gotta let the man have one or two of his own since I got a lot more

Killer stays in his own pen and had been by himself for a year or two before I put a mean hen in with him who was also killing other chickens. I figured that if they killed each other it wasn't a big loss as I haven't been able to get fertilized eggs from her anyways. Well I guess its a match made somewhere cause they haven't killed each other or even fought once.

The hen is a silkie and Killer is a game cross. Good luck with yours

Thanks. Both roos are 9 months old, so no luck having an older one and younger one. Dick, the more mature/dominant one started fighting Harry about a month ago, and ripped his wing off and tried to rip the other one off. I'm hoping he doesn't go after Boots like that.

 

[Fostermom27610]

I've had my rescue hens for a few weeks and they are doing well!! I've started letting them out in the evenings.

 

[TarheelBirdy]

GOOD LORD. I had a guy email me asking if I had any SLW roos for sale. I told him I had a couple of 6-week-old non-hatchery cockerels that I would sell him for $5 each. He emailed me back and told me to go F*&# myself, (I'm not kidding), and said "for a 6 wk old roo your out of your mind"

What a rude, crass individual. Wouldn't want him to have any of my birds, that's for sure, at any price, and I told him so. (I also made a crack about his spelling and grammar, just 'cause I could).

 

[wildriverswolf90]

GOOD LORD.  I had a guy email me asking if I had any SLW roos for sale. I told him I had a couple of 6-week-old non-hatchery cockerels that I would sell him for $5 each.  He emailed me back and told me to go F*&# myself, (I'm not kidding), and said "for a 6 wk old roo your out of your mind"

What a rude, crass individual.  Wouldn't want him to have any of my birds, that's for sure, at any price, and I told him so. (I also made a crack about his spelling and grammar, just 'cause I could).

i swear this year so far has been horrible. i have 10 6 weeks old and everyone who bought some last year says they are all laying colored eggs, 96 birds total. anyway these 10 are all pullets, and i was asking 6$ each or 50$ for all, and i was told that was unreasonable and i was out of my mind for trying to rip people off, that at most a 6 week old pullet should be 3-4$ each

 

[LukesCityHens]

GOOD LORD. I had a guy email me asking if I had any SLW roos for sale. I told him I had a couple of 6-week-old non-hatchery cockerels that I would sell him for $5 each. He emailed me back and told me to go F*&# myself, (I'm not kidding), and said "for a 6 wk old roo your out of your mind"

What a rude, crass individual. Wouldn't want him to have any of my birds, that's for sure, at any price, and I told him so. (I also made a crack about his spelling and grammar, just 'cause I could).

I've come to the conclusion that people would rather be cheap and buy sick, mislabeled birds than buy from a local person who's birds are healthy and willing to prove it. When people try and low-ball me I just reply "well then you obviously can't tell the difference in quality, and good luck trying to get those birds back in good health"

 

[TIN CHICKEN]

I agree - it is important to "raise the standard" one person / one interaction at a time.