Not Sure If You've Got A Pullet Or Cockerel? Click Here! Thread 2

[nkiwndrmom]

I'm pretty sure I see saddle feathers so definitely a roo. You can house roosters together in their own bachelor pad. Depending on how many hens you have and how much space you have you may be able to keep all three in your flock. My friend free ranges and they keep about 5 roosters. They have about 50 hens. No fighting. Everyone gets along. Right now we have 2 roosters together with our ladies. We will be starting a bachelor pen this year though. Right now we have 8 cockerels together and things are going well.

Thank you! We got him as an extra. The chickens started out as a 4 H project for our ten year old and we were only supposed to have 12 and all hens. They asked if we wanted a roo and we said no then they asked if we wanted an extra hen and we got Sargent Pepps! Lol Then my nephews wanted a hen too so we went to tractor trailer supply and they had a six bird minimum so they picked out an austrolop each and I choose six Buffs all the same age as our others! Didn't plan on having Roos but I have the space so we are keeping them! I need to get to building though! Lol

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Thank you! We got him as an extra. The chickens started out as a 4 H project for our ten year old and we were only supposed to have 12 and all hens. They asked if we wanted a roo and we said no then they asked if we wanted an extra hen and we got Sargent Pepps! Lol Then my nephews wanted a hen too so we went to tractor trailer supply and they had a six bird minimum so they picked out an austrolop each and I choose six Buffs all the same age as our others! Didn't plan on having Roos but I have the space so we are keeping them! I need to get to building though! Lol

Lol I know all about the magic that makes hens roos lol. At the beginning of the year we purchased 6 pullets from tractor supply and 3 turned out to be cockerels lol. Good ole Tractor supply lol...

 

[nkiwndrmom]

Lol I know all about the magic that makes hens roos lol. At the beginning of the year we purchased 6 pullets from tractor supply and 3 turned out to be cockerels lol. Good ole Tractor supply lol...

Right! I hear that a lot! Off the subject how high should the nesting boxes and roosts be? Should 1 be higher than the other?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Right! I hear that a lot! Off the subject how high should the nesting boxes and roosts be? Should 1 be higher than the other?

Personally we have 4 seperate hen houses and the roosting bars are different heights in all. My older girls like to be well off the ground. My younger ones like the lower bars. We have a mixture of both since we keep a mixed age flock. I personally think the nesting boxes should be off the ground but no higher then they can fly unless you plan for a ramp.

 

[Auntie Moose]

IF you suspect one of your flock is a roo, how old should they be before you make a final decision, barring hearing any crowing?

 

[jenniferlamar70]

IF you suspect one of your flock is a roo, how old should they be before you make a final decision, barring hearing any crowing? 

Once I see saddle feathers.

 

[Auntie Moose]

Once I see saddle feathers.

I'm not very good at distinguishing those.

 

[junebuggena]

I'm not very good at distinguishing those.

A bright red comb, regardless of breed, by 8 weeks old, is a sure indicator of a male. Patchy coloring, or deep red through the shoulders is another sure sign.

 

[summerb123]

A bright red comb, regardless of breed, by 8 weeks old, is a sure indicator of a male. Patchy coloring, or deep red through the shoulders is another sure sign.

 

[junebuggena]

The three row comb is a bit of a myth. A pullet with a proper pea comb will also have three rows. And a cockerel can occasionally have a single row of peas.