Usual Roo or Pullet questions.

[LoveMyChucks]

Hello everyone,
i have been keeping hens for a number of years now but i have always got them as PoL or ex-battery hens, this is the first time i have had one of my Girls go broody so i thought since my flock is getting on a bit now it would be an ideal time to introduce some fresh blood to the flock. i got hold of what was suppose to be Cream legbar and Sussex eggs of someone on eBay (yeah probably not the best place to get them).
i know it is probably too early to tell what sex the chick are that my broody hen is currently fostering. but they all hatched on the 13th of Aug so they are about 4 weeks old.

from my limited experiance with older chickens i think i currently have;
1 Buff Orpington
1 maran (Cuckoo?)
1 Cream Legbar
1 perkins









I think this one is a she, at a day old her wing feathers were different lengths, comb is still very yellow compaired to one of the other chicks






initally thought it was a he due to "he" loves trying to escape from the enclosure and very inquisitive. but has a very yellow comb.






Redder Comb than the others but it had the "typical" female colouration as a day old.












comb looks really red compaired to all the others, at a day old the wing feathers were different lengths, very timid and will run to a sneeze.

have posted the pics up in the order i listed at the start as to what breeds i thought they were.
thank you for any thoughts on the matter.
at what age can you tell for sure, seen a lot of ppl say 6 weeks old and what should i be looking for?

 

[Veer67]

Hello everyone,
i have been keeping hens for a number of years now but i have always got them as PoL or ex-battery hens, this is the first time i have had one of my Girls go broody so i thought since my flock is getting on a bit now it would be an ideal time to introduce some fresh blood to the flock. i got hold of what was suppose to be Cream legbar and Sussex eggs of someone on eBay (yeah probably not the best place to get them).
i know it is probably too early to tell what sex the chick are that my broody hen is currently fostering. but they all hatched on the 13th of Aug so they are about 4 weeks old.

from my limited experiance with older chickens i think i currently have;
1 Buff Orpington
1 maran (Cuckoo?)
1 Cream Legbar
1 perkins
Girl








I think this one is a she, at a day old her wing feathers were different lengths, comb is still very yellow compaired to one of the other chicks

Girl




initally thought it was a he due to "he" loves trying to escape from the enclosure and very inquisitive. but has a very yellow comb.

boy




Redder Comb than the others but it had the "typical" female colouration as a day old.
boy











comb looks really red compaired to all the others, at a day old the wing feathers were different lengths, very timid and will run to a sneeze.

have posted the pics up in the order i listed at the start as to what breeds i thought they were.
thank you for any thoughts on the matter.
at what age can you tell for sure, seen a lot of ppl say 6 weeks old and what should i be looking for?

 

[enola]

I see 2 cockerels and 2 pullets

 

[debid]

The two with reddening combs are definite males. Too early to say with certainty that the other two are female but if the comb stays as it is for the next three weeks, you would be pretty sure then. As for breed, I'd hesitate to label them pure anything given the circumstances.

 

[Kelsie2290]

My votes, the buff colored one looks like a girl to me, the cuckoo barred one looks like a girl but has a lot more white than I like to see so that one is iffy to me, the more grayish barred one looks like a boy and the frizzle looks like a boy.

 

[Iuvmychix]

My votes, the buff colored one looks like a girl to me, the cuckoo barred one looks like a girl but has a lot more white than I like to see so that one is iffy to me, the more grayish barred one looks like a boy and the frizzle looks like a boy.

Agreed

 

[LoveMyChucks]

thank you all for your thoughts on this. it confirms my suspicions as to the sex of the chicks.

The 3rd chick i posted pics of i had a local chicken breeder look at the pics and they said it was a Cream Legbar and was definatly female as the males are never that dark coloured. i have seen pictures around the internet with dark coloured males so i guess he was wrong.

the last chick i did not even think of as a Frizzle due to the feathery legs like the Perkins have. i thought it was going to be a Lavender Perkins.

at what age do you reccommend i post updated pictures to try and find/confirm the breeds? And if there is any doubt, confirm the Sexes? as one of the boys acts very Girlie.
is it possable that girls could also have combs redden early?