Rooster tails

[Equus5O]

This is probably in the wrong section, but anyway ...

Do all roosters have tails that break over? Or, are there breeds where the tail stays straight?

This chicken crows and mounts the ones that I know are females. No one lays eggs, yet. However, a few people have told me that it's not a male, because of the tail.

Is that a strict conformational thing?

 

[hensplease]

look like a girl to me its tail is too short to be a male my 8 week old rosters tail is twice as long and green (its a polish)

 

[ChickenCharmer]

No, I believe it's a rooster. You can see his pointed saddle feathers. And he will still grow in the curled sickle feathers.

Hensplease, Polish have much longer tails than this breed.

BTW, the proper place to post this would be the "What breed or gender is this?" forum.

 

[Uppity Peon]

Yes he has the saddle feathers, the behaviour and the comb. I think the sickles will come eventually.

But technically the answer is yes. Rumpless breeds don't get the sickles.

 

[gritsar]

Yep, he's got the saddle feathers so there's no doubt about his gender.

 

[Equus5O]

Quote:
I didn't post it there, because I'm not exactly asking what gender he is. It was more of a question about the "tail rule."

Thanks for the response

I forgot to ask ... what are sickle feathers?

 

[gritsar]

Do you know what a sickle looks like? Like the kind the grim reaper carries? It curves up and then back down again. That's a sickle.


I had a brain toot so I called my DH at work and asked him for the name of the guy in the black cape, with no face and carrying a sickle. Betcha DH is thinking what the??????

 

[ChickenCharmer]

Sickles are the long curled feathers that cover a rooster's tail.
Rumpless breeds don't have 'em and neither do sebrights.

Here is a picture of a sebright rooster (photo is from Year of the Rooster)
Click the Link

http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq166/YearoftheRooster/Greatestpic.jpg

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Yup, Sebrights are what are known as "hen feathered" because both the hen and roo have hackle and tail feathers that are curved on the ends.

With most breeds, the roo will have pointed tips on their hackle and sickle feathers, and the hen will have curved ones.

 

[Equus5O]

I'm soooo confused! LOL

So, he may end up looking kinda sorta like the photo that Chickencharmer linked to? I don't mean exactly, of course. But, a similar sort of tail?

The tail does not have to break over and drape for him to be a rooster.

Gotcha!

So ... anybody wanna rooster?