Barriehie
Über Member
Bear wasn't as "fluffy". More of a junkyard Shih Tzu even though we lived in an apartment.
Show us your pet (2025)
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Reminds me of an old Tommy Cooper joke:
Went to the zoo yesterday.
Terrible. They only had one animal!
It was a Shi Tzu.
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3 of the 5 chicks.
The black one will lay dark brown eggs. She's Harriet, the chook who literally gets lost standing still.
Then the 2 with the feathered feet are Mr & Mrs Yeti. We're not 100% certain that the left hand one is a boy but a lot of the signs are there except for the complete lack of male tail feathers, the complete lack of crowing, the fact he's the same size as Mrs Yeti who we have no doubts is female, and a few other minor things like the fluffy backside. The yellow legs could suggest he's male, as could the larger wattle and comb, and the saddle feathers either side of the tail. Only time will tell right now. The fact that he's 17 weeks old and not crowing is very confusing. I've had chicks start crowing at 4 weeks old. The definite male up top in the 3 chicks which were the first brood has been clear he's male since 7 weeks old. So we're
The black one will lay dark brown eggs. She's Harriet, the chook who literally gets lost standing still.
Then the 2 with the feathered feet are Mr & Mrs Yeti. We're not 100% certain that the left hand one is a boy but a lot of the signs are there except for the complete lack of male tail feathers, the complete lack of crowing, the fact he's the same size as Mrs Yeti who we have no doubts is female, and a few other minor things like the fluffy backside. The yellow legs could suggest he's male, as could the larger wattle and comb, and the saddle feathers either side of the tail. Only time will tell right now. The fact that he's 17 weeks old and not crowing is very confusing. I've had chicks start crowing at 4 weeks old. The definite male up top in the 3 chicks which were the first brood has been clear he's male since 7 weeks old. So we're
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
Am I right in thinking chickens are one of the few mammals that can change sex? I think we may have had a discussion about it before and you may have said they just lose their male attributes?3 of the 5 chicks.
View attachment 125030View attachment 125031
The black one will lay dark brown eggs. She's Harriet, the chook who literally gets lost standing still.
Then the 2 with the feathered feet are Mr & Mrs Yeti. We're not 100% certain that the left hand one is a boy but a lot of the signs are there except for the complete lack of male tail feathers, the complete lack of crowing, the fact he's the same size as Mrs Yeti who we have no doubts is female, and a few other minor things like the fluffy backside. The yellow legs could suggest he's male, as could the larger wattle and comb, and the saddle feathers either side of the tail. Only time will tell right now. The fact that he's 17 weeks old and not crowing is very confusing. I've had chicks start crowing at 4 weeks old. The definite male up top in the 3 chicks which were the first brood has been clear he's male since 7 weeks old. So we're
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not that I am aware of. The body temperature of the hen when she is laying the egg (and presumably in the 25hrs leading up to that point which is how long it takes for an egg to go from start to finish) determines the sex of the chick - which could be what you are thinking of, because the male does not determine the sex until most species. The hotter the hen, the more likely the chick is to be male.
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
It was hens turning into roosters that I was thinking of.
Although this isn’t as entertaining as what I must have read/seen originally it is a decent explanation -
Hermaphrodites | British Hen Welfare Trust.
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I've not had chance tu read the article, but they can take on the characteristics of them after they stop laying in the absence of a rooster. My oldest chook did that, though she never crowed thankfully. But she was still female
SandwichShortOfAPicnic
Legendary Member
It's pretty short article. Essentially saying hens can grow the chickeny equivalent of a testicle and take on a roosters appearance.
Barriehie
Über Member
Pippi after our short Walmart outing...
How do you know which eggs are edible and which are tiny fuzzy chicken babies?3 of the 5 chicks.
View attachment 125030View attachment 125031
The black one will lay dark brown eggs. She's Harriet, the chook who literally gets lost standing still.
Then the 2 with the feathered feet are Mr & Mrs Yeti. We're not 100% certain that the left hand one is a boy but a lot of the signs are there except for the complete lack of male tail feathers, the complete lack of crowing, the fact he's the same size as Mrs Yeti who we have no doubts is female, and a few other minor things like the fluffy backside. The yellow legs could suggest he's male, as could the larger wattle and comb, and the saddle feathers either side of the tail. Only time will tell right now. The fact that he's 17 weeks old and not crowing is very confusing. I've had chicks start crowing at 4 weeks old. The definite male up top in the 3 chicks which were the first brood has been clear he's male since 7 weeks old. So we're
medtran49
Forum GOD!
That's why you collect the eggs daily, so you don't crack one to find a fuzzy chick. You can also candle them, i.e. a light behind them, whether it's a candle or a bulb.
badjak
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Typically a chook must sit and incubate an egg exactly the same as any wild bird does. A gen must sit on a fertile egg for a minimum of 21 days before it will hatch, so it's not normally an issue. Just because they lay an egg doesn't mean they want to sit on it for 21 days. They must go broody first. They have to sit on the eggs for 21 days straight without leaving them for more than 30 minutes at a time, so they magically go on a starvation diet when they're broody.
Hence knowing if an egg is just an egg, or if an egg has a chick growing in it is pretty easy.
Do you ever have any kitties that sit on the eggs?
