My friend has a Americauna, we think it is a hen, but it is really big and has a head that resembles a hawk. Could she have a roo?
Tell if a hen is a roo
That "hawkhead" thing isn't specific to roosters. I've had Easter Eggers with that feature that were hens. It does look really cool, doesn't it? :) How old is the bird? Any pics?
I had a barred rock pullet that I thought was a rooster. She was aggressive and had a much larger comb than her sisters so I carried her around under my arm while doing chicken chores hoping to produce a gentle rooster. Well she turned into a very loyal hen who follows me everywhere, but she still picks on the others. Obviously I'm not the one to tell who's who.
Can you post a picture? I would like to see.
I haven't done this--but it is suppose to work. You "card" the hackle feathers (lower on the back of the neck). Pullets have shorter "rounded" hackle feathers, a roo's are longer and and pointed. This is hard to see when the feathers are lying against each other. By putting an index or playing card under the feathers you can see the shape and length better. Of course it only works once they are fully feathered.
This message was edited Apr 26, 2009 8:24 PM
How old is the Ameraucana? The pointy hackle feathers don't start to come in until the bird is relatively mature - I find at least 4 to 6 months depending on breed. There would also be pointy feathers as Catscan described at the base of the bird's back, where the "body" attaches to the tail. They are longer and thinner than the other feathers and end in a point shape.
Is it crowing?
Or laying eggs? LOL
I will try to get a picture. It belongs to a friend and she is worried that she has a roo. It is a lot larger then the other hens she has. Her chickens are just about 7 weeks old, so no eggs an no crowing. A couple of us are trying out this chicken thing for the fun of it. We are really enjoying the chicks. We are doing it for the eggs and the poop! I have one Ameraucuna, two Brahmas, and a Dutch Brown Leghorn.
My question is while I have read that they lay about an egg a day, now I read that may not be the case. How often do they lay?
It depends on their age, their breed, and their health/wellness/feed.
Excellent egg layers should lay about 1 egg a day. It's actually 1 egg every 26 hours or so, so some days you don't get an egg. But generally speaking, not all hens are "good layers" and some are more specialized for meat, etc.
The "My Pet Chicken" site has a listing of breeds and includes egg laying status.
Ameraucana is listed as a "good" layer at 3+ eggs a week. I would agree and say I often get 4 or 5 a week from my Ameraucana/Easter Egger hens.
The Brahmas and non-white leghorns are given the same "good" rating at 3+ eggs per week.
The white leghorn, for contrast purposes, is a "very good" rating at 4+ eggs a week. The Australorp has an "excellent" rating at 5+ eggs a week.
These numbers are by no means fixed - I definitely have some hens that lay almost every day. I have others that lay much less (Polish, for instance). They will lay more eggs in their youth (i.e. 1-2 years) than when they get older, but I keep old hens because I think they've done their best for me and they deserve a good retirement! They still lay, just not as often. Also, hens that have illnesses or poor diets will lay less often.
I think you'll have to wait a few weeks on the chicken sexing to figure it out.