Your opinion please and thank you !!!

Ok, the 3 sexed pullets I bought from Ideal look at this time, 16 wks later, to be a cockerel and two pullets. Well thats what I'm thinking anyway. So I tried to get some pics of the 3 (they wouldn't all just line up together...lol) and am going to post them. I have them numbered for reference and to make it easier to "vote".

So what do you think they are ?????????

Julie =0)

My opinion is

1. pullet
2. (left) cockerel (right) pullet
3. both pullet
4. pullet
5. cockerel

Now remember there are only 3 Lt Brahmas, I just tried to spread them at different angles for voting.

This message was edited Jul 31, 2007 10:06 PM

second pic

third shot

another

last one......

Come on, I know you have an opinion on the sex of these birds....lol


????????? anybody

Well, let's see What I look for are the saddle feathers on the rump right before the tail starts and lots of skin flaps on the face. and crowing! Lol!.

The brahmas are pretty! I think you have all pullets from the picture. If you could get a little closer, it might be easier to tell. Why do you think one is a roo?

Jab I think your lovelies are all Hens too, or still to juvenile to show gender characteristics.

Heres my Young Gentleman, He is the King of his three Hens, but still lives in the coop with my CockleLooLoo and the harem. So there has been no Crowing from him yet. When turned out to free range he leads his girls away to the far back of the yard and then does his "Happy Dance"!!

Here is a better picture. He is not camera shy! Oh yes I've decided to name him Snow Owl.

Well the one is showing much more color (red) than the other two , plus the others aren't sporting a comb like that one . And the one I think is male shows more point on the neck feathering while the others seem to taper more to a blunt end. Or maybe I'm seeing things... not sure.

I guess time will tell.......lol Brahmas are suppose to be slow to mature and I'm not seeing any signs of crowing, egg laying or saddle feathers.

Julie

This message was edited Aug 1, 2007 9:30 PM

Tried for a better close up this evening....

head shot

compare this head to the female in pic #1, they are the same age.... there just seems to be a big difference between them which is why I suspect a roo

Julie

This message was edited Aug 2, 2007 10:22 PM

More color doesn't necessarily mean roo. I had a pair of barred rocks that were the same age and one had more color and a bigger comb, but they both ended up laying eggs.
The one you think is a roo - does it have 'thicker', 'butchier' feet? I find that's one of the differences, if they're the same breed and age.

Beautiful birds. I raised Light Brahmas as a boy on the farm some 30 years ago and I've always thought that was a striking color pattern, especially nice outdoors on the green grass in the summer.

As you probably know, you are looking for a "pea comb" on this breed (close up head shot looks like it, hard to tell from side view on a young cockeral if this is what it is). That means although the male comb will be larger than the female comb eventually, it is not going to develop the big flapping standard straight comb and it may take a while. Small, serratted ridges rather than big "teeth" on the comb. Advice on watching the tail and saddle feathers also makes sense.

Fun stuff, they look happy and healthy, good luck!!

My opinion? They look like chickens to me! LOL

I can't even figure out what mine are so I am no help. We do for certain have a white silkie and buff silkie that are cockerels (like that CC???). Both have huge blue ears, big red wattles and are growing some pretty big combs. ;) Oh, and they crow!

Well I checked the feet but to be honest all the brahma's look to have butchie feet in comparison to the others...lol. Guess that means to me all the brahma appear to show the same size feet.

That one sports a comb and wattles where so far the other two do not. Nothin on the saddle feathers, I'm just gonna have to be patient ....not my strong point...lol

I spent the morning looking at my silkies too trying to decide which cockerels I liked the best but it's always oh, no I can't part with that one...lol.

Julie

LOL When we sold some of ours, I think people were ready to smack me. I'd only sell anything we had at least two of. I feel like I'm preparing for an ark. LOL

So far we only have one obvious cockerel of each color silkie. Somebody else is in there crowing though.....And those two silkies are aggressive! I watched one rip a feather out of a bigger bird's head! Hubby is out the working hard on the new big coop!

LOL.... it's sad to be an addict isn't it.

Julie

LOL I am just having so much fun! Except for my brief prissy model period, I've always wanted to do this. I thought I'd have more money when I got here but nevertheless I am having the time of my life! The kids are even wanting me to contact our daylily friend to see about getting a frizzle, peacock and polish and....Oh my!! I do have reservations about the peacock...

I've heard the peacocks are really really loud...lol. If I had more room I think I would do it anyway. I pass a house on my way home from work that has a white one and it is simply gorgeous !!!

I tried frizzle eggs this spring and all I got was a normal looking banty cochin hen out of it. There were 6 eggs and for the most part they were duds from the beginning. They were suppose to be a mix of frizzles and sq cochin both bantam.

Since the banty cochin was a lone hatch I put it with a midget silkie (1/2 the size of all the others it hatched with ) so it wouldn't be alone and they are still inseperable now that they are in the coop with the rest of the flock.

LOL.... we all thought we'd have more money when we got "here".

Julie

I only know of one peacock close to me and that darn thing stands in the middle of the road! I've also heard they can be very loud, very aggressive and also attack snakes? The roosting in the tree part does not sound so bad but I hope it wouldn't harass the neighbors. My 11 year old really wants one and it's still under debate and research.

We saw the frizzle babies! They are so cute. They had little curly crowns on their heads. Most of the birds were still very tiny and I've not heard the end of it since we went there. LOL

I'm still waiting on someone to sneak me the lottery numbers...or Uncle Bob that I've never heard of nor met to leave me a great inheritance. LOL Yeah, it'll be a loooooooong wait!

Can you see if uncle bob will add me on to the will, too? lol.

I've got a frizzle. She is great. We also have a bunch of silkies, so she has someone to roost with at night. Those winter nights are chilly here in NH.

LOL Sure! I'll be sure to cut you in. ;)

All # are Pullets Paul

I didn't have time to look at all your photos but you can tell by the hackle feathers...in cockerels they are pointed and in pullets they are rounded. Usually the males wattles, combs and feet are noticeably bigger.
These differences are usually apparent even in young immature birds of any breed.

LOL.... so far I am the only one who sees a difference in the combs and wattles and I think the feathers on the neck as well...I see points vs rounded. But I could be imagining things...lol. The feet I don't see any difference in.

Either way time will tell. Patience just isn't one of my virtues. I wanted 3 pullets when I bought the chicks, that is why I went with having them sexed. Most of the breeds I bought were straight run with 2 exceptions... my brahmas and cochins.

At this time I am choosing which roosters to keep for my flock. If this "pullet" turns out to be a rooster, as I suspect, then I would need to throw him into my decision making mix.

Either way I would like to keep the brahma, but if it is a "he" then somebody else is going to freezer camp since he would be taking their place. Decisions, decisions....

Julie

Ok, I know, I'm nuts or obsessed or probably both but here they are side by side, they definitely look different. #2 and #3 don't show the a wattles and comb as #1 does.

Julie

Ok, I have been following the saga, I would call Ideal and get a credit. That number one looks just a roo to me, it isn't then it got way too many male hormones! I don't have those, I could see early on with the sebrights and the marans who was who and they look like yours.

LOL....... I'm sooooooooo glad I'm no longer the ONLY one who thinks they look the different !!!!!!

It's not worth trying for a refund, they probably don't guarantee 100% sexing anyway. Besides I think he's gonna work out well as a roo.

Julie =0)

They are pretty julie...
LOLOLOLO

Thank you Tracey. They have some growing to do, Brahma's are one of the "beefier" birds...lol

Julie

Julie,

I agree with the "beefier" description. I remember them as slow to mature (compared to some of the quick growth commercial varieties) but they eventually achieve a large, stately and elegant presence with kind of a "wise" look to their heads, which are thicker than some breeds at maturity. I don't mean "thick headed" dumb, but literally thick in appearance. LOL. Their docile personality kind of reinforces the big, beefy look they achieve when mature.

(I'm imposing too many descriptions on them, poor things, but bottom line is I think they are a very nice breed). I hope you continue to enjoy them.
BDale

I love the look of my Brahmas too! Mine are growing bigger and bigger , but I noticed that they just dont seem to be getting that mature look like my other birds! I was beginning to worry about them but thanks to Bdale, I see that they do this! Whew I was worried maybe I hadnt done something for them they needed!
Now I do think they are a more headstrong group than my others! They never seem to want to come back to the coop in the evening after their free range time! They always make me wait til the very last second. They just love to come close to the gate with the other hens but as soon as theBarred Rock's , Leghorns and Sussex get inside , the Brahmas will take off to the field one more time . Its like little Kids wanting to have more play time! I used to follow them and try to round them up, but not any more. I know that they will circle the old barn and come into the gate at their own liesure NOT mine! LOL!!

I have trouble with the standard cochins and the blue lace red wyandottes are always my stragglers when it comes time to be shut in for the night.

I've got one blrw hen that is so good at avoidance my son calls her the camo chicken....lol

Julie

Well I failed to mention my Quirky Girl! Shes an Americana, and has her own way of doing things!
NEVER go into a Chicken Coop!
NEVER get penned up at night!
NEVER eat from the chicken feeder, just from the terracotta tray on the front steps of the people house!
NEVER ever assume that I am a Chicken! I am a Chihuahua!

Oh yeah , We named her Quark!

ROTFLOL

Our chickens all get into the coop by 9:30, earlier if it gets dark early and later if the sun happens to be bright. We can almost always close them up by 9:30.

The two male silkies however have gotten a little mean! They like to rip the feathers off the other birds. They may end up in their own home or elsewhere. Mean little fluff balls....They are still people nice, just a bit picky with the other chickens.

For as long as I've had the birds, I've mostly read people do not eat silkies because the black skin is a bit disarming. Well......I was looking at some silkie info and found a picture of a market in Taiwan I think where they had black skinned chickens for sale with the pale skinned chickens and it does look pretty odd!

Badseed,

You are probably too busy to watch much TV, but they have this "chef competition" reality show on one of the cable networks, and one day one of the chefs was assigned a black (skinned) chicken to cook. It was featured in an episode where they were all given somewhat exotic food to cook (e.g. alligator, rattlesnake). I'm not suggesting that is what you should do with them (I'm staying out of that debate LOL) but apparently it is something of a gourmet food in some circles, quite possibly in Asian cuisine as you say.
BDale

I don't watch much TV but when I do it's a lifetime movie in my bedroom or something with the kids. LOL

I have watched some of those shows! Most of the time they are amusing but I've seen some things that are downright gross!

Years ago, I worked at a little salon next to a Thai food store. They sold chicken feet and all sorts of things. The lady there would make me lunch every day, extra spicy and most days I dared not ask what she made for me. It was good and I just didn't want to know!!

I saw that show, it was an asian food, the first thing that came to my mind was OM its a silkie! It was weird looking, I guess a lot of people have a hard time with raising turkeys other than whites for food because of the color of their skin before cooking.

I know on one of the poultry sites a woman said her silkies had bred with her standard birds and some of the crosses had dark skin. She said she has to "skin" the ones she butchers because her husband can't stomach the "black" skin....lol.

Although I don't know how long it would take me to adjust to it either....

Julie