separating rooster

[nola4]

We are new at chickens and we have 4. They are about 8 weeks old. One of them is beginning to look like a rooster. We don't want a rooster and we will probably give it away but we want to know when we need to separate him from the other 3? We do not want chicks, just eggs! Thanks!

 

[gritsar]

No need to worry about chicks, even if you decide to keep your rooster. Before chicks can happen you have to have a hen go broody. Some hens never do. There's no need to seperate the boy from the chicks he's been raised with.

I live in the country, so can have all the roosters I want. I have five currently (2 adults + 3 juveniles). I wouldn't have a flock without a rooster. They are worth their weight in gold to me.

 

[FMAFarms]

At 8 weeks, roos would have larger combs and wattles and be practicing their crowing. BUT... it does depend on the breed. Some breeds have females with large wattles and combs. Some breeds develop their combs and wattles faster than other breeds. I wouldn't want you to get rid of one of your chicks because it has a pronounced comb and wattle, just for you to discover it was a hen from a quick-to-mature breed. Do you know what breeds you have? Or can you post photos?

 

[nola4]

Thanks so much for your replies. The one we think may be a roo is an Araucana. (We have 2 araucana, distinctly different) The other 2 are Buff Orpington. My husband thinks he heard Nelly trying to crow.....

 

[FMAFarms]

Are you sure they are Araucanas (pronounced cheek tufts and no tails) or Ameraucanas or Easter Eggers (looked like chipmunks when they were babies and developed feathers faster than the others)? Our Ameraucana roos were very noticeably roos by the time they were 4 weeks old, by behavior and feather development (plus we vent-sexed them). Buff Orpingtons have a tendency to go broody, so even if your chick turns out to be a roo, you'll need to collect your eggs on a daily (or twice daily) basis to prevent chick development and to keep your hens from going broody and not letting you anywhere near the eggs.

 

[nola4]

Quote:
No, not really. The person we got the chicks from is out of town. We're waiting for him to return so we can ask. In the mean time we've been searching images. When I saw the name and the birds I was certain they were Aurucana (I remember the person saying something like Aurucana.... the Aura part stuck out in my memory, but being new at raising chickens it is quite possible I'm mistaken.... it's info overload at this point), now, after looking through the Ameraucana images I'm less certain. Also your description of the Araucana does seem to differ a bit from how the chicks look.

Again. Thanks a lot for your replies!

 

[FMAFarms]

If you can post photos of your chicks, especially your suspected roo, we'll be more able to help you.

 

[nola4]

Quote:
No doubt, that will make things easier. I'm in the process of constructing the hen house, so I'll have to do that a bit later.