Splash Maran... Pullet or cockerel???

[jbruner51]

That's funny about the lil rooster beating up the big one... What is a OGEB? (I'm a Newb) Also, do you know of any way to make them more friendly and less skiddish?

 

[One Chick Two]

That's funny about the lil rooster beating up the big one... What is a OGEB? (I'm a Newb) Also, do you know of any way to make them more friendly and less skiddish?

No worries! You'll become used to them pretty quickly around here. lol

Old English Game Bantam. His variety is a Black Breasted Red and he has a Quail chest, so it's not actually black. I REALLY like this breed as well. Independent and smart. Friendly males and females- females are especially cuddly and trainable. This rooster actually helped to raise our PR RIR (with 17 roosters at one point) and he liked them- they still revere him as leader and they are all grown now.

With roosters, I like to have them to work with when they are somewhat young, but we have had a few that were wild, full adults who did became friendly and tame with calm attention. The Marans male I showed you the photo of was completely isolated at the breeder's farm, and loves attention now. Some people don't believe roosters should be socialized, but I have had over 20 living together at one time in the same henhouse, with no buttheads, so I unless this changes at some time, this method works pretty well for us. (We don't add strange adult roosters to adult roosters- those go in separated areas. The Banty was a full adult, and the PR RIR were all raised here and introduced as cockerels and pullets.)

Here's what I do:

Visit daily, inside the pen, sit awhile.
Having them fetch treats from your palm can be helpful to make them comfortable around you.
Always act confident and calm around them- always... you are flock leader. (Even if they do something that throws you off a bit.)
Always speak in a calm, gentle, low tone and confident manner. Roosters know that you are not acting threatening.
Some roosters will ask for attention, others will hang around and hope to be picked up, even if they don't always say so.
Always make sure they are calm before you put them down. I don't put anyone back down if they act agitated, they have to be calm.

If a chicken is mostly docile, but is acting a bit agitated, sometimes, I give a chicken hug...

Hold them, turn your face to the left (never let them near your eyes, earrings teeth or near shiny things.). Lay their head gently on the right shoulder, and whisper calmly, "Shhh..." They will nearly always quiet down just to listen to what you are saying. Meanwhile, place chin gently over their neck while petting them gently and watch to see if their eyes relax and close. (They are really relaxed if the eyes close.) Sometimes this is all that is needed to rebalace their mood.

They often do a neck embrace to each other while laying together and relaxing. (It's a chicken hug- and this works WONDERS for calming most chickens down, fast.) All of our roosters learned to "hug" as early as possible.

This technique came in especially handy when one day a freerange rooster was being attacked by a vicious raven, and his eye was severely injured. After we scared it off, I caught him easily and held him, while he laid his head on my shoulder and moaned. I held him without struggle while we tended his injuries. Just saying, this conditioning has been very helpful on multiple occasions.

 

[jbruner51]

Wow... A chicken hug... whodathunk it lol... I'll have to try that when I get home... Thank you very much for the info I really appreciate it. Hope I can bug you with some more questions later when I have em

 

[jbruner51]

Oh and correct me if I'm wrong but is the OEGB the roosters they used to fight? If I'm thinking of the same ones my friend has one that he called a gamecock and told me that was the breed that ppl used to fight back in the day and he was by far one of the prettiest if not the prettiest rooster i had seen.

 

[One Chick Two]

Oh and correct me if I'm wrong but is the OEGB the roosters they used to fight? If I'm thinking of the same ones my friend has one that he called a gamecock and told me that was the breed that ppl used to fight back in the day and he was by far one of the prettiest if not the prettiest rooster i had seen.

OEG are the larger version of the bantams. Might be those that you are thinking of that are often gamecock fighters. All VERY beautiful. I have heard that even the OEGB males on occasion can be aggressive, but honestly, a 1 3/4 lb bird can only peck a funny bone to death. lol

Sir Banty was full grown- at least two years old, and had 2" spurs when we purchased him. He was our first rooster, so I was intimidated by the spurs at first. It was soon evident that Banty didn't have a mean bone in his body, even though he was still wild then. Luckily, he is a great fellow and an exceptional father and teacher. He is master of our flock still, only because he is the oldest bird and wise-- king of the bluff. He realizes he can't really fight a larger bird a real fight and win. His pecks do not actually hurt (at all) but, when the much larger PR RIR males start acting mischievous, he pecks then chases until they give up- he is amazingly quick and agile and uses that. They run away screaming, even though no one has ever been hurt. lol I think he has them pysched. lol The poor Marans rooster was shaking and happy to go back to his pen after meeting him. lol And the bantam wins again.

I've known sitautions where multiple brother OEGB have lived together in harmony with their harems. I believe much depends on rooster socialization and environment- especially when they come to know what to expect. Some, of course can be just genetics in play. No matter what, we can't allow a situation to develop mean roosters. They have to live together, and have to get along.

 

[jbruner51]

Same bird a month later. Still think it's a pullet rapidly approaching laying?

 

[Tricoglossus]

Uh oh. Looks like HE has revealed his true colours! A cockerel after all! Had me fooled for sure.

 

[One Chick Two]

Same bird a month later. Still think it's a pullet rapidly approaching laying?

These photos just aren't very clear to me.

Okay, here's what you do...

Go looking for saddle feathers.
Pick up and hold the bird, slowly dig deep into the feathers right along front of the tail. You are looking for small, thin, shiny, spiky feathers. See the red, spiky strip on the 6 week old BCM cockerel below? (The upper cockerel is younger, and he has them too if you look straight down to the skin. Just not as grown in...) Those are saddle feathers.



Here is another version of a cockerel around the same age, who fully feathered in, THEN began getting some color, so he had more of a female look for awhile. Can you find his one saddle feather? It is in the center back, before the tail. It is copper and very thin, and next to a green feather, seeming to be near a bald spot.



One more photo.

(l to r) Here is a pointed tail feather of a PR RIR rooster. Next, a hen tail feather, which are rounded at edges. Then, a hen saddle (or "cushion") feather is always rounded, with no pointed feathers. Then, a rooster saddle feather is pointed long and thin, usually dropping down at tail sides. The male's hackle feathers resemble the saddle feathers.

.

Do you see any feathers on this bird that remotely are the same shape to the male feathers?

 

[One Chick Two]

These photos just aren't very clear to me.

Okay, here's what you do...

Go looking for saddle feathers.
Pick up and hold the bird, slowly dig deep into the feathers right along front of the tail. You are looking for small, thin, shiny, spiky feathers. See the red, spiky strip on the 6 week old BCM cockerel below? (The upper cockerel is younger, and he has them too if you look straight down to the skin. Just not as grown in...) Those are saddle feathers.



Here is another version of a cockerel around the same age, who fully feathered in, THEN began getting some color, so he had more of a female look for awhile. Can you find his one saddle feather? It is in the center back, before the tail. It is copper and very thin, and next to a green feather, seeming to be near a bald spot.



One more photo.

(l to r) Here is a pointed tail feather of a PR RIR rooster. Next, a hen tail feather, which are rounded at edges. Then, a hen saddle (or "cushion") feather is always rounded, with no pointed feathers. Then, a rooster saddle feather is pointed long and thin, usually dropping down at tail sides. The male's hackle feathers resemble the saddle feathers.

.

Do you see any feathers on this bird that remotely are the same shape to the male feathers?

This is the cockerel's father. See as he shakes his head, those are pointed hackle feathers? Also, see the long saddle feathers on back and the side?




This is the neck, hackle feather up close.