Let me refresh your memory.
On June 6th I got myself 4 of these.
6 weeks later they looked like this.
Now they are these.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
Yeah, that's a whole pack of Roosters and one lone gal at the end. Which means I now have a whole pack of roosters to get rid of. Also it means I've somehow angered the chicken Gods but that goes without saying.
I had high hopes that the 3rd chicken from the top was a hen, but one day I took a look at her and she'd developed a long, plume like tail with feathers that curled. And there wasn't a curling iron in sight. He was a she. The fact that he thought his farts were hilarious should have tipped me off long ago. Just kidding. Chickens don't fart. In public.
So now I have to get rid of my Black Copper Marans roosters by ensuring they get to a nice home where they can guard a flock. Roosters aren't always easy to get rid of because most people either don't have a rooster or they only need one to guard their flock of 20 or so chickens. Even if I was willing to sell them as meat birds it would be hard because killing a chicken and turning into dinner is a LOT of work. Not many people want to do that sort of thing.
I really was pulling for that one rooster to be a hen. The tail feathers looked henny, its comb was smaller than the other two obvious roosters and is was the one chicken out of all 4 that will sit and relax on my lap with me.
Lap chickens are hard to come by. Males that don't fart … even harder.
I'll keep you updated and let you know what becomes of the roosters. Unless it happens to be coq au vin.
Kipley
Nice pictures. I can only get the tail end..they won't pose for me.
Ann
I think I would wait just a bit longer on #3. I have my doubts also. I would lay odds of 75%rooster/25% hen. But that 25% is enough to still have hope. First 2 tho are def roosters. Wish I was closer I would take your boys. Yes, they would probably end up on the dinner plate but that is the way of the world and we do it as kindly as possible.
I also probably need to replace my oldest rooster/hen pair. Hamlet has been the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, rooster on this planet and his matching breed hen has been a good layer. But they are both big heavy birds are are starting to have trouble getting up into the coop. Hamlet has been having leg problems for about a year and Rosie is no longer laying eggs om a regular basis. I am worried I will never find another really great rooster to take Hamlet's place tho. But often entertain what breed I would go for when the time came.
karen
Incidentally, he was a Dominique and he was rescued, as were all my chickens, so maybe he was just so grateful to be saved, he didn't dare rock the boat. ;)
karen
I had the nicest, nicest rooster who also was just the most affectionate pet - sat on my lap - thank god for the anonymity of the Internet, or I would not be able to admit I actually read the newspaper out loud to him. Anywho, he never caused any problems with the hens, very gentle with them, and if they ever DID get it on (though I never witnessed it), we never had any chicks because I was vigilant in collecting eggs every day.
Su
They are such beautiful birds.... I hope you find homes for them.
When I was eight my parents moved from a farm into town. Mom kept chickens... chickens had to be butchered for the pot.
Oh.My.Goodness.
To this day I remember the process. I had fallen out of my bedroom window the week before and had two broken arms(another story) so thank goodness I could only watch....
Chickens really do run around when their heads are cut off....
Carol Hogan
This is one of the reasons I've decided I can't keep chickens. Finding homes or otherwise, especially otherwise, doing away with the ones that don't or no longer lay eggs would be too stressful after I'd given them names and held them on my lap. I hope you are successful in finding homes for your boys.
Karen
Hi Carol! Oh I will be. And don't let that stop you from getting chickens. Once my chickens stop laying eggs, I'll just keep them. They're my pets. But chances are by that time or soon anyway they'll die naturally, leaving a sad face on me, but paving the way for more new egg laying chickens. ~ karen!
Tigersmom
Would the reason you can't keep the affectionate shemale be the crowing and possible discovery of illicit urban chickens?
I assume your flock doesn't need a rooster for protection in the lovely coop you built, but I'm guessing it may be a way to perform chicken birth control, as well, no?
Karen
Yes, roosters definitely aren't allowed. I mean hens aren't either, but a rooster in such close proximity to neighbour is just rude. I don't even want to wake up to crowing that close to the house! So … yes … it's definitely best for me to get rid of the roosters as soon as possible before a neighbour decides to do it for me. ~ karen!
TucsonPatty
Those guys (and gal/s) are beautiful. They have that same iridescence that the solid black beauties had. Gorgeous birds! Thanks for the peek.
chris aka monkey
i gave a thought to raising chickens until i did a ton of research and decided that taking care of them in the winter would just be too hard for me... cat update please forgive me if they way i said i nudged wilbur made you grimace i didn't poke him i just put the flower stem next to him and just touch his hair... i have been so gentle to him like a mama to her baby... he still is fuzzy so that's why i don't think it's a monarch and he is still little.. he eats about a half of a leaf a day xx
Karen
Well I'm just dying to know what that caterpillar is going to turn into! What if it turns into a frog? That'd be a shocker. ~ karen!
Dana
We just got 4 Black Copper Marans hens yesterday! The eggs are wonderful. We took in a flock last month--4 roosters, 6 hens, and 7 chicks that are all mixed breeds. We are having a great time trying to guess which chicks will be hens. The roosters have all gone to the freezer. Thankfully, it's a co-op coop with our next-door-neighbours, and they did the roosters in while we were away.
alisa
I had a Barnvelder chick who developed those same curled tail feathers at about the same age. I thought rooster, for sure. And then suddenly she dropped the curled feathers and began to lay eggs. Sometimes you just can't tell until they either crow or lay an egg. I've heard of tons of cases where someone has given a rooster away....and found out later they had been wrong. Start looking for homes, but wait until they actually crow!!!
Sherry
I was just wondering the last couple days when the chicken reveal would happen...
I was pretty sure you had three and one. Sad to see I was correct. I do hope you can find good homes for the boys. They're unusual and beautiful enough some flock owners may be just thrilled to have them. Good Luck!
Rebecca
You know better than I do based on one photo but I don't see three cockerels. Two of those pics looks like pullets to me. I'm raising blue copper, black copper and splash Marans. Except for the first photo, they look just like my 6 mo old hens did.
Also, I deemed one of my Lav Americaunas a cockerel and drove her 6 hours back to the breeder along with the other boys to trade. Breeder wasn't sure so I kept her because she was sweet. So glad I did. Now she's our little lap hen. Fingers crossed for at least two girls for you...
Karen
I'm positive the first two are roosters. They're constantly puffing their necks out and challenging each other and I'm almost sure I saw one trying to mount the other one, lol. I'd love to think that the second to last one is a hen, but (and I'm not sure this shows up well in the photo) the tail feathers are pointed at the ends, not rounded, there's very long pointed neck feathers and long saddle feathers. There's a chance that that one rooster/hen is a Black Copper Marans/Lavender Orpington cross so I'm not sure how that would reflect in the look. I sent the same pics to the breeder and her guess is rooster with more of a hen's looking body. :( In fact, :( :( Double sad face. ~ karen!
Toni
The key thing is that you said these look just like your *6* month old hens. Karen's are only *3* months at this point. She's definitely got 3 roos. Sigh. Been there, done that, Karen! I feel your pain.
Rebecca
My post wasn't clear. My Marans are currently 6 mos & 18 mos old but Karen's 3rd chicken pic looks like my pullets did at 4 mos. Also, both hens and roosters raise their hackles in challenge on occasion. I used that as a lady litmus test on that Ameraucana and she apparently just had a little identity crisis in her teen years!
Susan Preston
Cock a doodle dooo!!! Damn! I was hoping for at least two ladies! But alas...looks like the soup pot for sure!!
Grammy
Curious -- was the one you were pretty sure was female back when we all made our guesses the one that actually is?
Karen
Hey Grammy. I was *positive* one was a hen, no doubt about it. And that's the one that is indeed a hen. The second to last one is the one I had hopes for early on. That one has more of a hens body and up until a few weeks ago a definite hen's tail. :( ~ karen!
Mary
Ship me a rooster to Minnesota, we don't eat many eggs anyways.
maziel
Send me one in FL. I promise to love and cherish him and so will my hens. I had a very rough young RIR rooster I returned. I can't kill them to eat. He absolutely denuded them on their backs and left deep spur slashes on their sides. Returned him to the man who raised him...without any manners at all.
Lora
Ahh so sad and so beautiful, I hope you can find them homes :(
Auntiepatch
I don't know anything about chickens but I guessed 3 males & 1 female when I saw the darling chicks. Can you keep the one who sits on your lap?
Becky
Wow.. really?? I really thought you had two and two.
bummer.
Deb
Those are some gorgeous chickens. They are like living breathing sculptures. Your photography brings out the best in their glowing feathers. Stunning.