Poultry Swap TOMORROW!!! Am I mistakenly selling any hens?! (Picture heavy)

[sarahandbray]

I was under the impression that they didn't get their saddle feathers for at least another month. Even the largest birds don't show any sign of hackle feathers, but I KNOW those boys are boys. The girls are significantly smaller with a much less prominent comb. Plus, they don't strike up the stare down like these boys.

Most of these birds have a female counterpart (all the birds are the same age)--is that wrong to kind of place judgement trying to compare the two? Any of the ones I wasn't sure of got put back. These ones were the ones (I thought!) after weeks of hemming/hawing & research (and observation!), that were Roosters.

I really don't want to give girls away! I feel like the deck is stacks against me with my straight-run order. Ugh.

 

[cash money]

Yes br roosters are lighter in color than the hen's

 

[cash money]

Number 4 5 and 15 are pullets as far as I can tell

 

[nayeli]

I was under the impression that they didn't get their saddle feathers for at least another month. Even the largest birds don't show any sign of hackle feathers, but I KNOW those boys are boys. The girls are significantly smaller with a much less prominent comb. Plus, they don't strike up the stare down like these boys.

Most of these birds have a female counterpart (all the birds are the same age)--is that wrong to kind of place judgement trying to compare the two? Any of the ones I wasn't sure of got put back. These ones were the ones (I thought!) after weeks of hemming/hawing & research (and observation!), that were Roosters.

I really don't want to give girls away! I feel like the deck is stacks against me with my straight-run order. Ugh.

Just get rid of all of the suspected roo's (except those you have singled out to keep), then you have a reason to get more next spring

 

[fshinggrl]

Number 4 5 and 15 are pullets as far as I can tell

I would agree with this. The second two BRs look to be pullets due to coloring. Good luck!

 

[Michael OShay]

I really don't want to give girls away! I feel like the deck is stacks against me with my straight-run order. Ugh.

I know exactly how you feel. That's why for the past few decades I've only ordered pullet orders from the hatcheries. I always order 25 at a time, even when I don't need that many, but because I have the order form showing that it was a pullet order, I haven't had any problem selling off the extras and recouping my money. Even with an all pullet order, I always get one or two roosters (unless it happens to be a sex link order).

 

[sarahandbray]

Leaving at 8am...maybe some sweet old chicken lady/guy will take pity on minivan-mom and let me know if there's any egregious errors when I get to the swap. I think I've picked out 15 (out of 42) I can safely rehome without too much question. That will at least lessen my load, lessen the load on the 100sf coop, and maybe make it less painful when I have to make hard decisions with the other boys later on.
Really, I just want to see how this Poultry and Small Animal Swap works--I had never even heard of such a thing until two months ago! I love learning about thinks I was completely ignorant about before...and chickens/farm life in general, was one of them!!

 

[sarahandbray]

And Nayeli, I am DEFINITELY getting more (or hatching some!) this spring. No doubt!!

 

[sourland]

Hope that you have a 'fun' day.

 

[nayeli]

Tell us how the swap goes and what you come home with!