Friday, October 7, 2011

Peeper People Update

The Peeper People are a week old today! They grow up so fast! (sigh) When I went out this morning to give them food and new water, I noticed that they are growing little tail feathers! I KNOW they weren't there last night! LOL!!



Then I noticed that little roo boy does NOT have any tail feathers...hmmm.


He is also built different than the girls. The girls are taller and leaner, he is still round and shorter. I also noticed that there is another Peeper who looks like little roo boy...hmmm; no tail feathers yet and short and round. I was thinking before that perhaps "she" was a runt but now I'm wondering if "she" isn't another roo!?!  Do any of you Farmgirls who are wise in the ways of chicks know if this is a way to tell the hens from the roosters? I have heard that the Buff Orpingtons are broody by nature and I am hoping to hatch our own chicks next year and it would be neat to be able to tell them apart at a young age!

Linking to the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House! :)
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16 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 7, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    I think you might be too late to s-x them. When they are a day or two old, you can look at their primary wing feathers. The girls have longer feathers (http://www.chickenkeepingsecrets.com/baby-chickens/sexing-day-old-chicks/) You may have to wait for combs to start. Your roosters should soon get bigger than the hens too.

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  2. TexWisGirlOctober 7, 2011 at 3:45 PM

    no idea, but they sure are cute!

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  3. Farmgirl HeidiOctober 7, 2011 at 4:05 PM

    This sounds like a job for Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs... He DID sex chicks a few years back, I wish I remembered how it was done, but I know it had something to do with applying pressure near the anus, they'd squirt, and if there was a little pee pee it was a boy, if not, it was a girl. Maybe it's on the Discovery website so you could watch it? They're SO cute Candy. We had chicks many years ago and every spring it was a mystery, but somehow we'd have about 2 or 3 hens that were actually roosters... I think it's really tough to tell when they're so young. Please let us know HOW TO when you find out for sure. Thanks.

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  4. UnknownOctober 7, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    I would check Backyardchickens.com. I bet someone would know there? I looked at pics of Buffy and she had tail feathers at about 1-2 weeks. Not sure about the roosters. Maybe it was a runt, needs more time ?

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  5. BrendaOctober 7, 2011 at 5:21 PM

    Oh I just want to reach through the screen and grab one. I have some Buff Orpingtons and yes they do get broody.

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  6. Amy DingmannOctober 7, 2011 at 8:04 PM

    Such cute little boys and girls! Everything I've ever been told is that its really hard to be 100% sure if you've got a roo or a hen until they lay eggs. There are some we've had here that we were SO sure were hens and then...um, that's not a hen! (And the other way around too.) We have two chickens here now (strange breed) who we still don't know if they are roos or hens and they should be plenty old enough to tell! :) Good luck my dear...its always a fun mystery!

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  7. Candy C.October 8, 2011 at 4:40 AM

    Thanks everyone! :)
    Paula at fletchingtonfarms mentions the primary wing feathers too. The "known" roo from the hatchery with the blue spot on his head also does have WAAAY shorter wing feathers and so does the "suspected" roo! I think I will mark the suspected roo so I can keep track of him/her and see how things turn out! ;)

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  8. Pioneer Woman at HeartOctober 8, 2011 at 12:23 PM

    How cute! I think we will let our hens sit on some eggs in the spring next year.

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  9. Candy C.October 8, 2011 at 4:14 PM

    If one of these new girls goes broody, I will let her sit too! :)

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  10. AnonymousOctober 8, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    They are adorable! I can't believe how quickly they get feathers and grow up. I'm no good at telling them apart at an early age. We took a hen to the county fair and brought a rooster home. LOL

    Teresa

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  11. KateriOctober 8, 2011 at 7:38 PM

    Gosh, they are so cute! No help on telling them apart until they are older, though.

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  12. larkspur funny farmOctober 9, 2011 at 12:07 PM

    It is very hard to tell with some breeds but I think if you give them another week the difference will be easier to tell. The Hatchery I purchased mine from which was to have no roos - I ended up with 6, I was not a happy camper but I could tell by the time they where two weeks by their combs... At this age they are just so darn cute. Enjoy!

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  13. Candy C.October 9, 2011 at 6:31 PM

    Teresa,
    Now that is pretty funny, sounds like something *I* would do! :)

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  14. Candy C.October 9, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    Kateri and Grace,
    I did mark the "suspected" roo so that I will be able to track him/her. The website that Paula at fletchingtonfarms mentioned had some good info and said that some breeds were easier to tell apart than others. It will be interesting to watch them! :)

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  15. cmcafOctober 10, 2011 at 2:34 AM

    they are so sweet! I use to have ducks..miss them

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  16. MARARIAOctober 12, 2011 at 12:36 PM

    they are so cute!

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