This seems like a silly question, but is this a rooster?

[debid]

Just assuming she is a lady and taking into account that she was apparently already laying before purchase, is around 20 weeks old, but has just moved house. How long should I wait before writing her off as a rooster?

If we assume that it's a healthy, young, laying female, she might go off lay for as much as a week but I wouldn't expect it to be longer than that. When I brought home a Marans pullet that had already started laying, I got an egg the very next day. But, I have seen stress induce a pause for a few days before.

 

[blythe1987]

I would be reasonably confident though that if the seller has already had to take her back once and even told you that, then you could also assume that she is probably telling the truth about her laying white eggs.... if that makes sense.

Yeah, I feel like if she knew it to be a rooster then she wouldn't have mentioned her being returned before. And she's also said she's happy to refund me or swap her over if she doesn't lay or even if she does lay but is too noisy. So I think she definitely believes her to be female too

 

[blythe1987]

But one another note you said she was suppose to lay a white egg and the other 2 blue right? And you got a white and blue the other day but the next day you only said you got 2 eggs from the other 2 girls. Im wondering if you again had a white and blue or 2 blue eggs the second day? And do you have any other hens that lay a white egg?

I was told she laid a white egg, Andy the Araucana x Polish lays a blue egg and Cissy the Cochin X Legbar lays a brown egg. But I caught both Andy and Cissy laying and Cissy's egg is actually white. So I should be getting 2 white and 1 blue.

So far Tuesday I got 1 blue + 1 white, Wednesday I got 1 blue + 1 white (and saw who laid them) and today I only got 1 white egg

So it's possible the 2 white egg ladies are alternating I guess.

 

[rebrascora]

It says in your first post that you got a blue egg and a brown egg the first day and then a blue and a white egg the next..... if so, either you are mistaken about Cissy laying a white egg..... did you actually see it laid or was it there when she came out of the nest box..... or the hen whose gender is in question laid the brown egg and has since stopped laying, perhaps due to stress and the seller was mistaken about her egg colour.

Cancel that! I just reread your first post and I now realise that you are saying that the seller told you one lays a brown, one a blue and the other a white egg, but the way I now understand it,is that you haven't actually had a brown egg from any of them. Is that correct?

 

[sawilliams]

I was told she laid a white egg, Andy the Araucana x Polish lays a blue egg and Cissy the Cochin X Legbar lays a brown egg. But I caught both Andy and Cissy laying and Cissy's egg is actually white. So I should be getting 2 white and 1 blue.

So far Tuesday I got 1 blue + 1 white, Wednesday I got 1 blue + 1 white (and saw who laid them) and today I only got 1 white egg

So it's possible the 2 white egg ladies are alternating I guess.

Yeah but usually when mine alternate they still every few days match up. Guess you just have to keep waiting... me on the other hand I have a transgender chicken that is still undecided. No eggs no crowing one day i think he looks more like a she and other days she looks more like a he... 19 weeks old

 

[debid]

It says in your first post that you got a blue egg and a brown egg the first day and then a blue and a white egg the next..... if so, either you are mistaken about Cissy laying a white egg..... did you actually see it laid or was it there when she came out of the nest box..... or the hen whose gender is in question laid the brown egg and has since stopped laying, perhaps due to stress and the seller was mistaken about her egg colour.

Actually, it doesn't say that. It says she expected to get a blue, a brown, and a white. She's only gotten blue and white and has caught the one that was expected to lay brown producing a white egg.

 

[rebrascora]

@debid
Thanks for that. Yes I just reread the first post again and then edited my post above as you were typing to correct me.

 

[blythe1987]

Yeah, what debid said. But I went and reread my first post and it's a bit confusing.

These are the eggs I got https://imgur.com/a/s9viz

The Tuesday eggs I didnt see laid but on Wednesday I was out there are found Cissy singing in the nesting box and waited for her to leave to collect the non blue egg in the Wednesday photo...which I think looks remarkably like the white Tuesday egg.

I don't know if it's really white but I'm used to isa brown's who have a definite brown egg. It's kind of a creamy colour. So maybe mystery chicken will have a whiter egg.

 

[rebrascora]

Now I'm very confused because I am not seeing a white egg???
The two photos show a blue egg and a brown (or tint egg). I don't see a white egg.
The blue egg in the second photo has a green tint to it which may be just the light or it could be that you have a blue, brown and green egg layer or that your mystery bird that lays the white egg is yet to produce.

 

[debid]

Yeah, when I click for the images, I see a greenish-blue egg and a light brown egg. No white egg. But yes, that looks like only two are laying.

ETA it's super common for the green ones to photograph differently in different light. It's very difficult to get an accurate color representation in photos.