What Gender is this Partridge Cochin?

[Dinosaur Village Keeper]

The babies are all different breeds. I don’t have any chickens that are the same color because if one dies and I have to look at another one that looks the same, it will make me sad. Even if I get the same breed, it has to be a different color. I know that’s really weird! I guess when I run out of breeds, my chicken keeping days are over.

Thank you for responding, I loved hearing about your chickens, too! It may be where the old term "Old Bitty"comes from. The ISAs are a year old, but might feel older because of their genetics. In your situation, maybe the hens will think twice once those cochins hit full size. Luckily for the hens, I have read that cochins aren't likely to hold it against them.

 

[Jenwisp]

It makes sense to me. One thing I would not do again is get a bunch of ISA browns. I have trouble telling them apart so I put colored zip ties at their ankles.

The Easter Eggers are great for individuality. They each got names ( although my 7 year old insists she can tell the ISAs apart and has named several and I believe it ). When I ordered my group of cochins this year, I picked 1 white, 1 partridge, 1 buff, 1 barred, 2 blue ( male and female ) 2 black ( male and female ) and 1 self-blue.

I will have to part with at least 2, plus we lost an EE this year, and a couple ducks were culled.. I educationally impulse bought another mixed batch at TSC which seems to be 1 buff orpington, 2 easter eggers, 1 buff brahma ( total half asleep mistake, they shared the bin with the EE ), 1 blue plymouth rock ( or sapphire etc they seem to suffer the same misnomer issues as Ameraucanas ) and possibly a lavendar orpington. The bin was a shared bin of the blue plymouth rocks and mixed orpingtons. It looked like only buff were left, as if the rest had been cherry picked out. I think the lighter gray one I got will actually turn out to be an orpington that was mistaken for a rock, because her markings are vastly lighter gray compared to every other rock in the bin. So there is a fun mystery to watch unfold. She is fluffier than the rock chick.

 

[Jenwisp]

Although that said, the ISAs are great for first timers, and easy to care for. And they lay a lot of eggs reliably all winter long, and I didn't put any lighting in the coop.