What do I have?

[moarsaraplz]

Hello everyone I am pretty new to chickens, and received these 4 as a sort-of "gift" from some family members, much to my surprise! I am curious if what we were told is accurate, as they are very pretty birds! You folks seem to be pretty knowledgeable about chickens, so why not start here?!



We were told that these were "Crevecoeur" chickens, and that we had 2 Roosters and 2 hens.
The 4 are comprised of the white one in the first picture, the black one in the second picture(there is another one that is identical to this second one, without the wattles, but has a comb), and the one in the third picture(who has a rather nice plume, but no comb or wattle). These are the clearest pictures I have managed to get, as they're still warming up to me, but I have plenty more I can provide if needed of them scampering away lol. I want to add that I really enjoy these guys! They're really mellow, they get along well with each other, and like to roost up in really high places compared to others I've been around.

I am curious, because the White Fellow is being claimed as a Crevie, and I thought they were supposed to be black? The other three are very beautiful, with gorgeous tails and a wonderful deep blue that the camera does not do justice. I love these birds, but it's eating away at me whether they're correctly sexed or not? ETA: and if they are, in fact, Crevecours. I noticed after rechecking the pictures, that you can't really see the feet, and that seems to be mentioned a lot in Crevie descriptions. Their feet are blue, except the white fellow! Not sure if that is important or not, but something I noticed, nonetheless haha!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I don't think they can be Crevecoeurs as they have the wrong comb type...Crevecoeurs have "V-shaped" combs with crest and beards. And yes, my understanding is they are only black.

Lady of McCamley

 

[moarsaraplz]

apparently they are still young, which was the only reason I was thinking that they might be Crevies, it just hadn't come in yet. Very disappointed to hear that, though. The lady my family got them from said she had imported them, so automatically I was both excited and wary. Regardless, they're beautiful birds!

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I know nothing about that breed but the top 2 pictures are males and the bottom picture is a female.
I would guess that may be 12-14 weeks old.

 

[chicken pickin]

Pic 1 The white one to me looks like it is older than the others I think she is a pullet( I don't see any saddle or hackle feathers).

Pic 2 is 100% rooster.

Pic 3 is a pullet.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Ooops...I didn't zoom in the pic. Uh yeah that looks like an adult hen.

 

[moarsaraplz]

How can you tell the difference between a Rooster and a Hen? I'm still curious what breed they are, as I seem to have been deceived what breed they are?

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

See the long droopy tail feathers that are really shiny on the bird in the top right picture? Those are called sickle feathers and that is a dead giveaway of male gender. Roosters will also have pointed saddle feathers on their rump just in front of the tail.

Okay, I posted a pic of my rooster JR. You can see the really bright orange colored feathers just before his blue tail feathers, those are saddle feathers. Roosters also have pointy hackle feathers , which are the neck feathers that resemble a lions mane.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Also at a juvenile age, cockerals would be developing their combs and wattles while a pullet's comb and wattles would stay small and not so red.

When a pullet starts laying eggs, she will develop her comb and wattles and they will turn red but she will have rounded tail and neck feathers and no saddle feathers as they are a male trait.

So if you just have to observe the signs your seeing, most times you don't have to wait for a crow or an egg to tell what gender they are.

 

[moarsaraplz]

Very informative, thank you everyone! I was reading up and learning everything I could when these guys showed up, so I'm learning a lot as I go =/ The breed is still a mystery to me though, if they are not Crevies! I would assume then, that the white hen is something completely different? A Leghorn maybe?

Your rooster is very striking, RoostersCrow! Quite handsome, and a great visual, thank you!