what breed is this hen and rooster?

[donrae]

The one you say is a hen though has bigger spurs then any hens I have seen. My variety of hens all have a spot where the spur is but no growth. Sometimes if there is a head roo the others keep quiet.

Shannon

That's why the presence of spurs isn't a good indicator of gender. Most dual purpose hens don't have spurs (most, yes, some do, I saw a pretty hatchery Welsummer at the fair with 1" spurs) but game breeds and what I think of as the "scrappier" breeds often have them.

 

[SadieBug]

I've got one Sicilian buttercup hen with some good sized spurs. I've heard that they are considered bad luck by some rural chicken breeders, but I've also heard that they have strong babies and make really protective mothers.

 

[donrae]

I remember someone talking about spurred hens being better broodies and their sons being better protectors..........like I said, I think it just goes with being a "scrappier" breed vs standard dual purpose.

 

[dretd]

That's why the presence of spurs isn't a good indicator of gender. Most dual purpose hens don't have spurs (most, yes, some do, I saw a pretty hatchery Welsummer at the fair with 1" spurs) but game breeds and what I think of as the "scrappier" breeds often have them.

I have a hatchery Welsummer with 2 spurs, one really is a nub but the other is maybe 1/2 inch long or more. I have always thought that somewhere along the line a breeder infused some game into the line for some reason becasue she is much lighter and rangier than the other Welsummer I had. She also went broody at 1 year and was an attentive mom to a nice batch of babies--something Welsummers are not known for.

 

[ChickenExtreme]

I agree: Campines would have a white earlobe and the Fayoumis are red like these birds. Coloration is similar otherwise.

Didn't see that, good eye, lol

 

[offgridhermit]

Thanks everyone..just an update, the Egyptian Fayoumi is definately a hen. All my hens are now laying except for the 3 Polish. The Polish are pretty chickens but I am trading with a neighbor..they get my 3 Polish hens and Polish rooster and I get some diesel fuel for my generator. After they pick up the Polish I will try to breed the 2 Egyptian Fayoumi later on.
I do enjoy having chickens, they are good therapy plus you get eggs!
What kind of chicks should I get next year for meat?