Roo and flock

[Athena116699]

I have2 week old chicks...wondering if one turns out to be a wyandotte roo and my others are rir and comet and orpington with the eggs/babies be half wyandotte with all of them? and if a large egg layer has an egg by a bird that lays smaller eggs will it hurt her, like a large male dog with a smaller dog? Sorry for asking two questions at once but my golden comet seems to be growing a comb already...would that mean it might be a roo? and my buff orpington is a lot bigger then the rest....and they are all the same age...any information? Thank you

 

[chooks4life]

I have2 week old chicks...wondering if one turns out to be a wyandotte roo and my others are rir and comet and orpington with the eggs/babies be half wyandotte with all of them?

Not quite sure I understand your question there, sorry.

and if a large egg layer has an egg by a bird that lays smaller eggs will it hurt her, like a large male dog with a smaller dog?

If a male with large egg genes mates with a hen with small egg genes, it won't change the size of her eggs as that's governed by her genetics. The chicks that grow from the eggs can grow to bantam or normal size though, but they too will be proportionate to begin with.

The biggest threat of her getting hurt due to size differences is that small egg layers tend to be bantams and large egg layers normal sized so he might be too heavy. Still, my large roosters managed fine with bantam hens and vice versa, it depends on their mentalities. Callous or vicious males shouldn't have hens of any size at their disposal as they are damaging and severely impact their quality of life.

You may get crossbred daughters who are bantams who lay eggs that are large, but it's pretty unlikely, a lot of work went into selecting large egg layers with body sizes as comparatively small as they are, and generally hens lay eggs that are proportionate to their body size. Commercial layer breeds are the exception there.

Also, you're far more likely to get massive hens who lay tiny eggs than tiny hens who lay massive eggs.

Sorry for asking two questions at once but my golden comet seems to be growing a comb already...would that mean it might be a roo?

At two weeks old, most likely yes. Sharing a photo would help us know for sure but it sounds like a good bet.

and my buff orpington is a lot bigger then the rest....and they are all the same age...any information? Thank you

As far as I know the Orp is the biggest breed you have among your selection, RIR may be next largest, and Wyandotte and Comet probably somewhere after the RIR in size, depending on what sort of RIR it is (heritage or hatchery types are quite different). It's just genetics.

Best wishes.

 

[Athena116699]

Thank you very much, your information is very informative. I will try to get a pic as soon as I can. The one thats already growing the comb is my Golden Comet...not the wyandotte....Thank you again!

 

[Athena116699]

This is my Golden Comet....two weeks


This is one of my RIR...two weeks both of these guys are starting combs...


This is my Wyandotte that a friend said way a roo....no comb

ok since I'm sending pics Ill send my other babies too...btw they are all two weeks old


this is my other RIR No Comb....Princess...she follows me everywhere


this is my buff orpington ...my beautiful Guinever

my other wyandotte no comb...Cleopratra

 

[Athena116699]

The first question was if (for instance) a wyandotte roo had babies with my other birds rir, comet and orpington...will all the babies be half wyandotte and half the other....what do ya call them...just backyard birds?

 

[chooks4life]

The first question was if (for instance) a wyandotte roo had babies with my other birds rir, comet and orpington...will all the babies be half wyandotte and half the other....what do ya call them...just backyard birds?

If you cross a purebred with another purebred of a different breed, (or a crossbred or a mongrel/mutt), then the offspring will not look like their purebred parent though some may look close. All babies will show some mix of both parents, it's unlikely any will look just like one parent or the other. Even if they do, it's unlikely they will in turn produce offspring that look like their purebred parent even if you then mate them back to a purebred of that breed, even if you inbreed them back to the parent in question.

The rules of inheritance are more complicated than is apparent, so coloring, shape, etc of crossbred offspring all depends on whether the genetics behind the Wyandotte's coloring are dominant or recessive, and the dominant or recessive traits of the birds it's bred with. If white is dominant among your birds, you can get all white offspring, even if genetically they're not white and will produce differently colored offspring in turn. They may not be white themselves yet can carry dominant white. Phenotype can show entirely different colors and shapes than the genotype of that bird will produce, so just because a chook looks good doesn't mean its offspring will look anything like it. Being purebred just raises the chances. It's pretty complicated stuff.

In order to get Wyandotte chicks you need two Wyandottes as parents. Any crossbreds not commonly commercially used are generally referred to as 'mutts' or 'mongrels' or various other terms like that, I guess 'backyard birds' could be a term you could also use. I am not aware of any common crossbreds using Wyandottes and the breeds you mention offhand so as far as I know there are no common terms for the resulting chicks except 'mutts' or similar.

There are some breeds which commercial breeders use to produce 'hybrids' or crosses which are often (incorrectly) called breeds, and given names, which is not normal for most mongrels. The Comet is one such commercial crossbred, not a purebred, so it won't produce chicks just the same as itself. Since some crossbreds are very regularly used by commercial breeders, there are special names for some crossbreds or quarterbreds, also known as terminal crosses, which are only used to establish hybrid vigor and extra production for a meat or layer market or similar.

If they bred these animals into new pure breeds, they would lose the hybrid vigor the crossbreeding (almost always) gives, so some 'parent' breeds are used almost purely to make crossbred offspring which are then marketed under easily recognizable, catchy names.

This happens in all domestic species, pretty much. For some examples, some dairy farmers use crosses of two breeds of milking cows for better health and production than either of the purebred parent breeds have; meat sheep breeders use numerous crosses of different breeds for certain markets (one of those crossbred results is known as a 'Meatmaster' (Dorper cross Damara) for example); there are also numerous commercial chicken crossbreds which have special names i.e. Comets, Cornish Rock X's, etc... Also the horse industry has certain purpose-bred crosses or mongrels, and so does the dog industry... Depends on the job they want the animal for. If it's a common and deliberate results-oriented (and reliable) cross then it's given a name.

But generally, unless it has a well established market and purpose, crossbred or mixed breed animals do not have special names.

The Orpington and RIR will also produce random colors, production traits, etc when mated with a different breed, the only way to get more of the same type of bird is to breed it with a purebred of its own type. You will however likely get some pretty mongrels. Whether or not they will produce equivalent meat, eggs, behavior etc like either parent is up to chance though, for the most part. For more understanding of genetics, there are numerous websites to check and books to get, but it's complicated stuff and best delved into once you've gotten the husbandry part down pat, there's lots to learn about keeping them, especially regarding disease, parasites, and social issues. Everyone here is still a learner though some have much more experience than others, it goes to show how vast a subject it is to learn.

As for your chooks, I don't see any definite male development, though the ones you nominated are likelier than the others to be male just going by initial appearances. The feathering pattern of development on those you think is male is more male type for sure, generally that only applies to some breeds but I've found it also applies to total mongrels more often than not, even though they have dozens of breeds in them and are dozens of generations distant from purebred ancestors. It is still early though. Sometimes you can tell quite young, sometimes you can't.

It's normal for both genders to have visible combs from hatching onwards, but males quickly start to get pinker, taller or wider combs, and the individual spikes on the combs often become blunter and more swollen looking rather than yellowish thin spikes like females have until later on.

Generally, since commercial layer breeds usually have more male characteristics including larger combs and wattles from a young age, they often look male when they're not. Your Comet is questionable, it's got a ginger head but the wings are white and the comb is growing out a bit... The Wyandotte, unless it's got a single comb, will show gender more in the spread and coloring of its comb long before it does so in vertical height as it's a different comb type. Right now that's a quite wide crest for a girl and its feathering development pattern is also more male type. Females tend to feather up more evenly and quickly, with their shoulders growing feathers about the same time as their primaries/secondaries etc have grown out, whereas male chicks often stay bare in those areas for days or even weeks longer. A front on pic of the Wyandotte would help there but it's still early days, if they're not showing strongly yet then another pic around 6 weeks should do it, no need to bother yourself yet. Good pics, by the way, more easy to review than many pics people post.

Here's some info on Comets:

Quote:

"Red Sex Links are a breed cross using Rhode Island Red males and Delaware females. The females are primarily red while the males are primarily white; therefore, the sexes can be separated immediately following hatching. This layer is used in many commercial layer operations. They have excellent livability, and are very efficient producers of large brown eggs. Mature hens will weigh about 5 1/2 lbs. and can be salvaged for fowl meat when their use for laying is over. Mature males will weigh approximately 8 lbs.

Red Sex-linked Chicken - Baby: can be color-sexed. Females are salmon-red color; Male are white. Mature: Red feather bird with some white showing in the tail, neck and breast areas. They are quiet and easy to handle, noted for her beautiful color and small body size, and an excellent layer of medium brown colored egg.
They are also known as Golden Comet, Gold Star, and Cinnamon Queen.
Weight: 4.5 lbs. (Welp)

Best wishes.

 

[enola]

If the first pictured chick is a golden comet, you have a cockerel.

 

[Athena116699]

Hello again...my babies are 9 weeks old now.

I still need to know which are hens and which are roos. I am only keeping hens...and I love them all so much...Please help!! I am posting pics and one video...any feedback will be tremendously helpful. Thank you...









sorry about the double pics...still working on this upload thing...

Ok can't get the video uploaded...but here's the pics...Thank you again

 

[chooks4life]

Hello again...my babies are 9 weeks old now.

I still need to know which are hens and which are roos. I am only keeping hens...and I love them all so much...Please help!! I am posting pics and one video...any feedback will be tremendously helpful. Thank you...

This is the only one which looks for certain male.

Best wishes.

 

[Athena116699]

Thank you so much...

I love my buff orpington and want to get some hens....but if he's the only roo..that makes me happy...His name was Guinevere..but I've been calling him Glennie...he acts like a roo too, very determined and bossy when he wants his way...and steals all the others grasshoppers.