Roosters/hens?

[Learning2Know]

Thank you so much for that link, it was very informational! They are on an organic diet. So they get organic vegetable scraps, plus their pellet food (still organic), and my kids are famous for supplying tons of grass to munch on from the yard. Their run is actually already being expanded now, so hopefully if space is the issue that will resolve that.

Another quick question if you don’t mind, do hens jump at other hens with their feet like a rooster would (or so I’ve heard)? Because from afar I have witnessed this a couple times but can’t pinpoint exactly which one it is from standing on the porch and by the time I get to the chickens they are all trying to find out what goodies I might have for them.

 

[Learning2Know]

Thank you so much for that link, it was very informational! They are on an organic diet. So they get organic vegetable scraps, plus their pellet food (still organic), and my kids are famous for supplying tons of grass to munch on from the yard. Their run is actually already being expanded now, so hopefully if space is the issue that will resolve that.

Another quick question if you don’t mind, do hens jump at other hens with their feet like a rooster would (or so I’ve heard)? Because from afar I have witnessed this a couple times but can’t pinpoint exactly which one it is from standing on the porch and by the time I get to the chickens they are all trying to find out what goodies I might have for them.

Disregard. I was able to find some information regarding their behavior when a rooster is not present.

Thank you again for all your help! I was really thinking we had roosters.. but it appears to be that we just have a bunch of ladies trying to figure out their order.

 

[nuthatched]

They are on an organic diet. So they get organic vegetable scraps, plus their pellet food (still organic), and my kids are famous for supplying tons of grass to munch on from the yard

Make sure the feed has enough protein, a lot of organic feeds I've seen have 15% protein, you want about 18% protein for dual purpose layers.

 

[LizzzyJo]

Some hens will throw meat chunks and blood spots no matter what you do. If it seems to be only a very small number of eggs then you can do some isolation to tell who the culprit is. It could also just be young layer issues impacting all of them.

 

[ChicFil- A]

There are no cockerels in this image. Just pullets.

You won’t know until they lay an egg or give a crazy sound like a crow at first the sound will be silly and not sound like a good crow at all!
50-50 chance

 

[nuthatched]

You won’t know until they lay an egg or give a crazy sound like a crow at first the sound will be silly and not sound like a good crow at all!
50-50 chance

You usually can tell by 6 weeks with comb and waddle growth or by 14 weeks when male feathers come in. No need to wait so long.

 

[Fwoof]

Help! First time chicken owners. Raised from chicks and got them not know what they were. At first I was sure we had two roosters, then I was like yikes maybe three… and now I feel like we have more. We got them last Spring. Please, is there anyone who would be able to help me out with this picture? I’d like to separate the roosters before any damage is done to any of them. (I will try to get pictures of them separately but for now this is all I could get. If anyone is able to assist I would appreciate it. Thank you!)

Congrats! They're definetly all girls! If they were roosters they would have sickle-shaped tail and saddle feathers, larger combs and waddles, and spurs (although some hens have spurs, this is rare). Good luck with your birds!

 

[Learning2Know]

You won’t know until they lay an egg or give a crazy sound like a crow at first the sound will be silly and not sound like a good crow at all!

50-50 chance

See and we have a few trying to “crow”and/or being really mouthy which I thought wasn’t a characteristic of hens. At first I thought about just separating them one by one to figure out who is laying and who isn’t to be sure. But I found this forum and figured, why not give it a shot to see if someone more experienced could help identify instead of possibly stressing them for no reason.

Everyone has been so helpful and I’m very grateful for such feedback.

 

[Learning2Know]

Make sure the feed has enough protein, a lot of organic feeds I've seen have 15% protein, you want about 18% protein for dual purpose layers.

I will definitely look into the protein content, thanks for the info!

 

[Sussex19]

Definitely all hens!

You won’t know until they lay an egg or give a crazy sound like a crow at first the sound will be silly and not sound like a good crow at all!
50-50 chance

You can 100% tell with most breeds before then.
At around 12 weeks of age, the males get pointed saddle and neck feathers, were as the females stay rounded.
Also, comb size is a very good indicator, and when they are older like these ones, you can still use that as well.
All these ones have rounded feathers, and combs just the right size for a laying pullet or hen.

Silkies are very difficult, and with them you 'may' have to wait for an egg or a crow.