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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2006 20:03:51 GMT -5
Well, my girls are 3 months old now, and I took a picture of Big Mean Chicken a couple days ago. Yes, that's her real name...  She's not really mean, per se, but she's very forward and curious, and sometimes she gets right in my face about something (usually food). One of these days, I'll probably find out that she and Big Chicken are really roosters. They're the biggest of the bunch and have much more pronounced combs and wattles. Knowing nothing about chickens, I'm assuming they're just more voracious and have developed faster than the others. I've been able to name a few of them because of distinguishing characteristics. There's Big Mean Chicken of course, then there's Big Chicken (just as big but not as in-your-face), and Mrs. Conhead (remember the movie Coneheads?) who seems to always have one feather sticking up on the top of her head, then there's Blackbeard, who has a completely black beak and comb, with no yellow or red coloring at all. The rest of them I just call "Chicken."  Anyway, I thought you'd enjoy the picture of Big Mean Chicken. ~Lannie |
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Post by bergere on Jul 2, 2006 9:06:11 GMT -5
Very pretty chicken Lannie.
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Post by bbird on Jul 2, 2006 13:14:58 GMT -5
Great picture! I'm looking at the tail of Big mean chicken and you notice how it looks different then the other chicken in the picture? I think Big Mean chicken is a rooster. You'll have to let us know when you know for sure, lol. This is a fun time of year to watch chickens, they are so entertaining. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2006 13:55:22 GMT -5
Well, if Big Mean Chicken is indeed a rooster, then probably Big Chicken is, too. Big Chicken's tail feathers droop down and the little short feathers on the side of the tail are turning irridescent green over black. Argh. I really don't want to have to kill one of them. Maybe I can trade one to my neighbor for one of her Barred Rock hens. She was talking about maybe getting a rooster soon so she could start hatching her own eggs.
These were SUPPOSED to be all pullets! But I guess mistakes get made, don't they?
~Lannie
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2006 10:23:44 GMT -5
OMG, Big Mean Chicken is crowing. It sounds horrible, like someone is strangling HIM (I have to start thinking of him as a him now), but it's a definite "Cockadoo!" Maybe he'll add the rest of the "doodledoo" when he gets a little older.  I guess that means Big Chicken is also a rooster. Big Mean Chicken is definitely the dominant one of the two, so do you guys think maybe 2 roosters and 10 hens will get along OK? Or do I have to get rid of one of the roos?  ~Lannie |
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Post by bbird on Jul 3, 2006 11:35:11 GMT -5
You know Lannie, sometimes when two roo's have been together since they were little you might not have any problems. Sometimes you can't tell until spring gets here when they get rather frisky and you might see them challenge each other. If you don't mind two roo's then I would keep them and just play it by ear. I've had hundreds of chickens and roosters (use to sell them to a producer) and rarely had trouble with roo's. I think we only had two that we killed because they would would attack us. Ok, take that back, we had one who would bloody the other roo's so we killed him too. He was actually the son of our favorite roo.  Enjoy hearing how the roo goes from sounding like a adolescent boy to a full grown rooster, lol. It's hilarious at times. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2006 12:44:40 GMT -5
Well, I'd really like to keep them both, as long as they don't cause trouble. I guess if that happens, I'll try trading one of them to my neighbor. She has LOTS of Barred Rocks, and mentioned not long ago that she was considering getting a rooster so she could start hatching her own chicks in the spring. I wonder if she'd mind having Barred Rock/Lt. Brahma chicks. I'll have to ask her... I gave them some canned summer squash this morning for their breakfast. You should have seen the scramble! I spooned it into their little pig troughs before I let them out, and some were stepping on the others' head to get to it! Much flapping and squawking ensued, then machine-gun pecking. They finished a pint in less than a minute. So at least now I know what to do with all that squash I canned with brown sugar in it. I don't like giving them the sugar, but better them than me at this point. I had shredded the squash, by the way, so it was all in little convenient beak-sized pieces. ~Lannie |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2006 17:31:44 GMT -5
Well, it's official. Big Chicken is trying to crow now, too. It sounds even worse than Big Mean Chicken's crow.  There's actually one more that's showing signs, but I can't be sure. I certainly hope I don't end up with half those "girls" turning out to be boys. I did pay for all pullets, after all... ~Lannie |
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Post by starfire on Jul 8, 2006 20:34:40 GMT -5
That photo brought back a memory! My grandparents lived on a farm with all kinds of animals. Anyway, one of the chickens may have been a rooster would chase us kids even when we were teens. We hated that bird! Now it is funny but it wasn't then.
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