I have 36 Black Copper Marans in the incubator, due in a couple of weeks, and 18 of them 3 to 5 weeks old, and two adult females and an adult Rooster.... I'm rebuilding my flock from a dog attack last fall.
We've been having a good time chatting about anything and everything, not just my chicks... so feel free to join us.
:-)
can you tell at this point, if that chick is a boy or girl?
ZZ can. :)
I was certain when he hatched that he was a boy... he literally jumped out of his egg ready for action. :) He's always been ready for anything... the obvious top of the pecking order, which is why I thought he was a roo... now though, some are starting to get the copper feathers on their neck, but this one isn't that I can see.... so I'm wondering now if he's a she. :) 4 of them have different looking combs, and have had since birth... so that may be one indicator. I think people who have raised them for a long time can tell... but I think unless it's a sex link chick the only way to know for sure is to look at the vent when they're that little... and I would do that, but would have no clue what I was looking for anyway! LOL
So, I guess the long answer to your question is no. LOL
Umm.. are any of the others getting pink in their combs? Might be early for that..
I can't tell now.. hesheit is too old.. LOL If I were to go by what you say about temperment.. I'd say roo.. Especially first to hatch... is it the most friendly? Most curious? First to come over when you tap on the ground? That's roo.. I thought they all get copper hackles... ?
Some are getting the pink coloring, which was why I thought they were the roos... 3 of them... two of them have the copper coloring coming in, but not my original "roo"
My adult females have some copper, but not a lot like the Roo does. From what I've read, the female coloring is inconsistent and can range from a lot to nearly none. LOL I want to get them out of the crate, and out in the yard and let them scratch around a bit... hopefully I can get someone to help me tomorrow... we had ballgames today.
Oooh Melissa, I'm so excited for you! What a great thread. I can't wait to see them coming along and figuring out if that one crows or not. ZZ is a whiz at knowing their gender. I think she has intuitive knowledge or something.
Well.. then I think this is your pullet.. Really, the hackles are of no help.... it's the pink combs.. those are your roos.
The pic above has NO indication of pink.. that's what makes me think pullet.. Also you didn't answer if that one is the most friendly.. Roo chicks are the first to come jump in your hand and give you a love. :) They know what they are doing.. Pullets know they don't have to win your heart.. they are guaranteed a home.. They could care less about affection.. LOL
Thank you Claire, my confidence has been battered and beaten recently... I'm trying to learn more and more.. but you are right.. I go more by my first impression.. instantly.. if I wait, and study or try to figure it out.. I'm wrong.... I'm just insecure right now cause of all the drama.. LOL
ZZ, you are our sexing champion. Do not let circumstances batter your confidence. We all hold you in high esteem. Congrats, by the way, on the job. :-) You rock. I am so excited for you.
Yay, pullet!
LOL ZZ, yes, that one was the first to jump in my hand, the first to give me attention..... and I thought he was a roo. I'll get a pic of him tomorrow... or maybe he really is a HER. They've got me so confused! I've got 4 or 5 of them wanting me to hold them now... to the point that they jump on the edge of the cage and try to jump to me when I open the door!
One of them, today when I picked her up grabbed my lip! my kids were totally grossed out... but it just hurt a little... I told them she was giving me a kiss. :)
Thank you Claire. I'm not happy about it yet.. Too scared and was secretly hoping it wouldn't really happen! I cannot be held responsible for my emotions yet.. LOL I'm goin on the truck with Krystal for the week of July 6th.. Just for vacation and a test run.. :) That's when it will be final with me..
You are probably right then Melissa! Every batch I've hatched, the roo is the first one to come over.. EVERY time. He might just be too young to get color. First to hatch is roo too..
I use plastic lids for feed dishes.. to get them started eating, I scratch and pick at the feed with my fingernail to mimic the pecking the hen does.. the roo will be the first to come and try to get what he thinks I'm "eating" LOL... can't guarantee it for everyone, but it's been right every time here..
*just for Haystack* Chuckie wasn't the first in his group.. it took him 3 days to fluff up and walk.. :~ LOL
I gotta go search and find what I missed???
Melissa - one of my favorite hens grabbed my lip a couple of months ago. She is a lover hen and a lap sitter too, but wow, when she grabbed my lip, it bled for about 20 minutes like I'd been stabbed or something. It was awful. Poor girl, I know she didn't mean to do that. Caught me quite off guard though. I now think it's because i was wearing sunglasses and maybe she saw a reflection of another bird in them? (herself!)
Grabbin your lips is precisely why you never look a chicken right in the eye. I also never put their roosts at eye level. Chickens explore with their beaks and a pouty lip looks mighty fine, sometimes even to us guy's. LOL Couldn't help myself. And a bulging eye looks like a tasty meal. Thats the serious side. Haystack
Claire, this one didn't bring blood, but then again, he/she is only 5 weeks old, not a full grown hen... OUCH.
Haystack, thank you for pointing that out about the eyes... I'd never considered that.
This is the first group I've had that ever tried anything like that...
My lil black Cochin pullet, Snowshoe found a freckle almost next to my armpit and showed me just how stretchy skin really is! I almost launched her for a long flight.. no blood, and the tiny freckle was surrounded by bright red, but it survived..
OUCH ZZ!
Welll, we set up a little play pen for them today... and they're having a blast... this is the same one, the one I'm not sure if he's a he or a she playing in dirt.
Oh Melissa that is the cutest pic ever!!!!!! He looks like a little Otter!!!!! I love it!!!!
Here you can see the combs.... remember, what I thought was the roo is laying on his back... the one to the left, that has a comb like that one is getting the copper feathering coming in, and the one behind, well, it's comb is bright, but is one I "thought" was a female....
Melissa that is the cutest pic !!!!!
I can tell when my OEGB hatch if they are roo's or pullets the roos have a little bent over comb while the pullets have a slick head.
This is my little blue splash modern game pullet she is my favorite one she is about 8 weeks old
Far left is definite roo.. middle with copper is a pullet.. The otter on his back might be roo.. just too young to get color.. but see the beginning of the waddles? See how the pullet has none?
Oh she is adorable Harmony! What kind of eggs will she lay?
I'm trying to get pictures of the combs, but they just aren't wanting to cooperate with me today. It was so funny, hubby set the playpen up, and I went to get a couple to put in. Of course, my two main chicks were right there at the door practically ready to jump out of the cage to be picked up. So, I picked them up, and then the third one that's usually right there with the other two, decided it wasn't going to be left behind, and jumped out and landed on my chest. :) Guess it's a good thing there's a shelf there because otherwise it would have hit the ground. :)
ZZ I thought about the wattles too... but, because they are the ones I originally thought were hens, I just wasn't sure. Now, I'm not sure how many hens and how many roos I have at all!
She will lay a small white bantam egg i'm definitely keeping this little sweet heart as a breeder :~)
To get the pics i show on here it takes forever mine run around or hide sometimes it's frustrating to be ready to push the button and off they go running. LOL
LOL, she is definitely a keeper. I lost the only splash that hatched this time, and I don't have any "blue" eggs in the incubator this time, so I'll have to wait to get a splash. They're so pretty!!
I'm lucky, my camera takes a ton of pictures at once... I usually get one or two good ones out of a burst, of course when they're relaxing like the one up above it's not hard... gives a whole new meaning to "chillin with my chicks" LOL
Here's a few of them... see the difference in the combs? The one at the bottom of the picture, and the one to her left have a black comb, not prominent at all, the other combs are yellow, most not prominent, then one that's comb is a little more prominent
I love the "otter" picture also. Sooo cute!
Deja Vu here.. I just put 14 Serama eggs (the very last of any eggs I have) in the hatcher.. and our power is out... well... there are 2 plugs working.. all the residents are goin crazy.. LOL
It just hit triple digits outside..
Melissa.. time for me to call you and you can walk ME through!!! LOL
Oh NO ZZ!!! BUT, temps in the triple digits means that they're going to stay close to their normal temps.... so that might be a positive for you.
All is okay now... I lost all power for a short time.. they just got it back on a few minutes ago.. SHEW! The humidity shot up that's for sure.. That's good, cause I just sterilized the hatcher, and it wasn't gettin up there.
Thank you so much Melissa.. :)
edited to add.. We just hit 106 outside.. YEEOWZA!!
This message was edited Jun 28, 2009 3:19 PM
whew! I'm glad!
Just lurking and reading :)
question if i may ?
how many roo's to a hen ratio ? i was told the two roo's would fight it out ? with only 6 hens . The one white roo is very aggressive .
Those pics are to cute Melissa . I didn't know chicks would lay on their backs. ? to cute.
ouch on the freckle yikes.
I would bet 2 to 6 would be brutal on both the hens and the roos...
I agree with ZZ. We have about 8 roos but we have about 70 hens, and we have a large acreage so they can run around all over the place. Even so, I'd rather have about 4 roos.
Most of the peeps I've bought eggs from say they have a 1:8 ratio... right now, we've got as many roos as we do hens, but, 3 of the roos think they're hens, and so does the one roo. *yikes* we haven't had any problems, as the roo chases the other roos away from his girls. No one is bothering the two new girls since they came with their own.... and he's good at protecting them. We're watching closely, and if any of them start trying to take advantage of the new guys.... well they'll either be noodles or move elsewhere...
Our "main" Roo is a beautiful Buff Orpington, he's HUGE, and absolutely a beautiful bird.... I'd really like to keep him if it's possible, so I hope he behaves himself.
Yeah, they are sweet till they find out they are roos... then they are psycho and jump everything that moves, and some that don't.. You think teenagers are bad, wait till the hormones kick in your darling lil chicks!
lol i tried to explain that too the 13 yr old boy i babysit when he stayed with us last week. He turned to me with this horrified look & said "I'm going to act like that!" My teenage roos were being a bit... obnoxious to the girls that day.
I guess i should add i was explaining bc he was mad at the roos for being rude to the girls. He was chasing the roos off with a stick. & trying to console the girls. I was trying to get him to understand he wouldn't' get anything done all day if he kept it up & if it got bad I'd pen the roos for the day. The girls can get away, rarely do they have problems, it just upset him to see the girls treated harshly.
Grey Kyttyn! Sounds like a great guy in the making to me. LOL Haystack
LOL ZZ, I don't think you quite understood what I said... the 3 roos that don't act like roos are adult birds... they're at least 2 years old. The buff orpington roo has convinced them they are hens.... he ummm "approaches" them just like he does the hens.
LOL There I go again...
Catscan said I can get away with being "ditzy" cause I live in Calif. I can dye my hair at the drop of a hat if anyone needs me to be blonde.
I cannot be held responsible for my posts anymore.. but at least I'm not scared I'm going crazy.. I'm already there and it's a nice place!!
edited to add in my poor brain's defense.. I was talking about Taynor's roos.. I was guessing they are younger?
This message was edited Jun 29, 2009 2:28 PM
