Rooster questions.....

[mboreham1]

Do roosters always have spurs?

If so, at what age do they develop?

Do roosters always crow or is it a learned behaviour from other roosters?

If they always crow, what age do they start?

Can hens have spurs?

Can hens have saddle feathers and curved tail feathers?

 

[Illia]

Do roosters always have spurs? - Yes

If so, at what age do they develop? - They won't really look like anything but a small nub until a year old.

Do roosters always crow or is it a learned behaviour from other roosters? - They will always crow; though some do it later than others or less than others

If they always crow, what age do they start? - Anywhere from 2 months to 8 months old.

Can hens have spurs? - Yes

Can hens have saddle feathers and curved tail feathers? - No.

 

[mboreham1]

thanks! I have what i am convinced on many levels is a rooster but he hasnt crowed and he is 5 months old, he doesnt even have a nub for spurs at all, he has done nothing but gentle cluck, cluck cluck just like the hens, he doesnt have any more of a pronounced comb or wattles than his sister at 20 weeks old and shows none of the dominant rooster behaviour people on here rave or rant about (depending on what they want!) so, apart from the curvyish tail feathers and what seem to look like saddle feathers, he could be a hen.....

 

[Miss Lydia]

or a very nice rooster

 

[mboreham1]

hey, a well behaved rooster is not a problem, as long as the crowing is kept to a minimum, if not, he will be taking a trip to a local organic farm, they have 40 acres of chicken heaven

 

[Rowtag]

He sounds a lot like my RIR roo personality wise. He is nearly 2 and still just as sweet as when he was a chick. He has gotten attitude with me two times, and both times I had one of his hens and they started screaming, even then he just gives me an evil eye (Banty roo on the other hand is a brat). He crows, but he is like clockwork. He crows twice when the sun comes up and once before bed, he went through a spell where he would crow every time the dog down the road barked, but he quit that at about a year old. Hope yours stays nice, I was worried when I first got chickens and knew I had a roo, I had only ever heard horror stories. I don't think I would keep the hens if I couldn't have a rooster, he is like a feathered guard dog and probably the most fun to watch.

 

[mulewagon]

I have one very slow-maturing rooster. I thought he was a big hen for months! He's eight months old now, but doesn't crow, has a much smaller comb than the other roosters, and is only now starting to grow the curved tail feathers. He's just recently started getting nervous about being touched, biting me, pecking the hens, etc.

The other three surviving roosters are complete in everything except spurs, and have always been stand-offish and bullied the hens. I guess some are just late bloomers!

 

[mboreham1]

He is a nervous chicken, but then the wife and i have nursed him back to life twice, when he was 2 weeks old, he was exploring the back yard and the resident beagle thought he was a mechanical soft toy, he didnt kill him, but a trip around the garden a couple times does nothing for a 2 week old chick. He had slightly ripped skin and was very cold, but we saved him, later on the dog did the same again, so we repeated, now he is big enough to tell the dog where to go and the dog does has he is told!

He doesnt really like to be held, but i force him to once or twice per week, i was examining his legs closely tonight, i see a tiny circle on his leg, which is where i assume the spurs will grow in.

As long as he remains a gentleman to me, the mrs and his ladies he can stay (assuming no rediculous crowing) he is a fantastic looking man, i can see him becoming a late blooming rooster that actually looks after his ladies!

Would i get a sex link if i let him mate with barred rocks and RIR's? He is an EE

M

 

[ND]

Do you have any pictures of him?
Saddle feathers... long, pointy saddle feathers are definitely a roo.
Tail shape, though, CAN vary. I have a few hens that have a curve of their top tail feathers... it's the breed standard for them to have them. Now, they don't have saddle feathers, and they don't have any iridescent tail feathers, etc...but curved tail feathers, yes. Given that EE's are a mix anyway, I suppose it's possible to have some slightly curved tail feathers and still be a hen. NOT saddle feathers or iridescent feathers, tho.

Are the saddle feathers thinner, longer and pointy at the tip? Or rounded and fatter? I've seen some EE hens that made me look twice because their feathers, while clearly rounded and 'hen-ish', were surprisingly long and droopy compared to other hens of other breeds. My young EE pullets have much longer feathers there than the same age pullets of different breeds, but they're still very fat and rounded.

A 20 week old EE roo should be pretty evident, but I guess they are known for being tricky.

Here's hoping it's a nice, calm, pretty quiet roo if it is a roo!

 

[annie3001]

Quote:
hello.
i just have to say: i love our rooster!! answers to your questions!

yes, roosters have spurs.
roosters dont always crow, atleast mine dont always. unless it is the early morning (wake up call) or wants to get out of the run with his wives!
he didnt learn it from another rooster, he just knew.

he started to crow about 6 months of age. it sounded strange at first.
hens do have spurs.
i have never seen hens to have curved tail feathers?