# I Have a Question About My Chicken



## poundinghooves (Aug 5, 2010)

I have chickens for the first time.... we have 15 hens. We got a free exotic chicken from the hatchery as an extra. The problem is you couldn't specify if you wanted it to be a pullet/cockrell. So I have this feather legged chicken that we are going to give away to a friend if it is a rooster. Don't want a rooster yet and I figure if we decide we want more chickens why not just buy more from the hatchery instead of having a rooster? So I don't think there is a way for me to know what it is for sure but if there is please tell me! The feather legged's watttles and comb is bigger and darker colored than the others except for my one of my barred rocks (in the last picture) who prob. has the biggest wattles and comb. They are about 9 weeks old. So do you think it is a rooster or hen, or is there any way to tell? Also, if you have a (big) dog and chickens do they get along?

NOTE: I know the chickens _look_ too cooped up but that is just there temporary coop and it looks dark only because rain was coming so we wanted to cover the coop with a tarp.


----------



## leonalee (Jul 1, 2010)

Looks like a Buff Cochin... prob a rooster. The roosters have huge wattles/combs and they usually almost IMMEDIATELY upon growing them have larger combs/wattles than all the pullets.


----------



## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

might want to ditch the storm screen as flooring in your next coop it will couse bumble footing....and yes it does look like a rooster


----------



## rbarlo32 (Aug 9, 2010)

Def a cock, we have hatched loads of that breed they grow slowly but become huge.


----------



## Indyhorse (Dec 3, 2009)

I'm late chiming in here, but I don't know that I agree. I know as my pullets were maturing I thought I had a whole LOAD of roos. In the end I DID get snuck in one roo, but sure enough all the rest were hens, but they have larger combs than any hens I have had before. I'll try to get pictures of them tomorrow, (the one pictures below isn't one of mine) but they look like this, and their combs are this big and red:










You can check him to see if he has spurs but that isn't always accurate - my roo and hens alike all have spur buds, and my roo never did get anything but the buds anyways, he never actually developed real spurs.

Also, as an aside, I have chickens and I have 5 large working Collies who I compete with herding. I can trust them around my chickens supervised, but would not trust them unsupervised. One has killed a chicken before, she got out once, and was trying to herd them constantly, and one dropped from exhaustion.


----------



## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I would say looking at the chickens that he is definitely a guy, but as Indy mentioned, who's had experience with them, apparently the females get bigger combs and waddles than normal too. I am pretty sure that the barred rock is also a rooster. So they were wrong saying it was a hen. I looked up pictures just to be sure, and 12 week old hens don't even have that much waddle and comb. Good luck with them. I like chickens. Also there is a backyardchickens forum as well where you can get loads of info on chicks.


----------



## KANSAS_TWISTER (Feb 23, 2007)

backyardchickens is a great site!!! been using that site for sabout 2 years now


----------



## apachiedragon (Apr 19, 2008)

My guess was Buff Cochin as well. We had one, and he was huge. He was also very territorial and would spur you in a heartbeat if you were in his lot. And for the most part, dogs and chickens, NOT a good idea. Dogs have an instinctive prey drive, and chickens are prey. Chickens run, dogs chase. There are exceptions, but as a general rule? Nope.


----------



## maura (Nov 21, 2009)

The Barred Rock looks just like my Barred Rock hens, they are a breed with large combs and they tend to mature earlier than Buff Orps or RI Reds. (That's what I have in my flock.) I'm not familiar with Buff Cochins, so I won't make a guess. 

I third the recommendation for backyardchickens.com; it's a great site. 

Agree with the poster that said some dogs can be trusted supervised, by very, very, few can be trusted unsupervised. Chickens running away from them just stimulates even the most latent prey drive in dogs.


----------



## bama20a (Nov 27, 2008)

Rooster,As Forest Gump would say"Thats all I've got to say about that."


----------



## Mocha26 (Oct 27, 2010)

My bantam & the German Shepard, poodle, & collie get along good. They all play fetch together! Lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

The roosters are usually larger than hens, and often have more colorful feathers, and longer feathers. Wattles really don't make it a hen or rooster, as I've had hens that have had wattles that are huge, then roosters with relatively none. Also, roosters tend to be more aggressive and you might catch them trying to breed with the hens. Those are pretty much ways to tell. If you know there breeds, I'd suggest comparing them to pictures of hens and roosters of the same breed and color.

And any dog can be gentle with chickens if trained to. Don't just throw the dog in there with a false promise that the dog might not hurt them. If you socialize the dog and teach them that the chickens are not prey, then they should be good, but sitll should not be left alone.


----------



## Scoope (Oct 19, 2010)

Don't vouch on wattles/combs to decide on whether it is a cockeral or not. Not sure what breed it is - although , I agree that it looks like a buff cochin. I know our White Leghorn in particular has HUGE wattles and comb , bigger than our cockeral's (different breed) - or , like our Houdan Cock, have none at all. Also - some breeds cockeral's do not have brightly coloured plumage - Buff Cochins for example , are not brightly colored - nor are the leghorns, or plymoth barred rocks either, their are many breeds that do not have the bright colors, but you will notice the long tail feathers coming in, and depending on the breed sometimes you can tell by the way the tail is set. 

If you have dogs around, sometimes a Cock is a good thing to have - he protects his girls from danger, and will alert you to a problem- and not all of them crow loudly, if you handle him frequently while he is young , he will be quite friendly as an adult. Fertilized eggs are fine to eat as the chick does not start to develop unless one of your hens is brooding on them, in fact - some people believe that they are better for you , but I do not know what that is based on.


----------

