So, Is My Chicken a Dom Hen?

[Falconfree]

Because I'm really getting worried that she is a he. She's about 6 weeks old. I also have an RIR I'm unsure on, but Tiana is the one that I've been undecided on from the beginning. What do you think? Hen or little roo? Dominique or something else?

 

[vicki017]

To me it looks like a roo due to the orange coloring

 

[StarMeKritten]

Definitely a cockerel. He's not a Dominique- they have barring and a rose comb. Not quite sure what he is though. Might be a black copper marans. Where did you get them?

 

[junebuggena]

Definitely a cockerel. He's not a Dominique- they have barring and a rose comb. Not quite sure what he is though. Might be a black copper marans. Where did you get them?

x2 on both gender and possible breed.

 

[Falconfree]

A local breeder. He sold all 4 to me as sexed pullets, but it's looking like his sexing only has a 50% success rate. -.-

 

[junebuggena]

In that case, you have a mixed breed cockerel.

 

[Falconfree]

I was especially curious about the reddish ring he's starting to get around his neck. Any idea what that would be from? It seems so out of place among all the black.

 

[junebuggena]

There is a big difference between a person who has chickens and hatches chicks, and a proper breeder. If he doesn't know what a Dominique chick looks like, you can be sure that he can't tell a cockerel vent from a pullet vent.

 

[Falconfree]

Of course, like a legitimate dog breeder versus a backyard breeder. I just don't have the chicken knowledge to tell them apart yet. :/ I've actually been skeptical ever since picking them up, because he feather sexed them in front of me. Then I found out feather sexing only works on certain breeds/hybrids. I wish I knew of anyone good around here, almost everyone gets their chicks from TSC (and from them I've heard bad stories about their sexing too).

 

[junebuggena]

Of course, like a legitimate dog breeder versus a backyard breeder. I just don't have the chicken knowledge to tell them apart yet. :/ I've actually been skeptical ever since picking them up, because he feather sexed them in front of me. Then I found out feather sexing only works on certain breeds/hybrids. I wish I knew of anyone good around here, almost everyone gets their chicks from TSC (and from them I've heard bad stories about their sexing too).

Indicators of a good breeder, are separate pens for each breed; has the chicks separated by breed, so that mix ups don't happen; doesn't make any guarantees on gender of the chicks, unless the chicks are sexlinks; can explain to what sexlinks are and why the genetics work; they are more than happy to show you pictures of their breeding stock.