rhode island blue hen vs rooster rhode island blue hen vs rooster

Blue Laced Red Wyandotte11. For example the Barred Rock males have a more diffused yellow spot on their head. You will soon be able to spot the roosters among the hens. Beautiful birds though. Learn about the different roles of the hen and roosters and you will become a great chicken mom or dad. However sex-linked birds will not breed true. Whether youre interested in backyard chickens, exhibition birds, or even production birds, there is a blue one out there for you! Blue Copper Maran7. The shoulder and neck are adorned with hackles flowing down the back. Newer breeds or hybrids that come in blue include the Blue Rock and Whiting True Blue. One last anecdotal test. If he sees something suspicious he will sound the alarm and lead the hens away from danger. What is the best type of breed rooster do I need with my hy line hens, Your email address will not be published. The Sapphire Olive Egger is a hybrid bluechickenh a cute head tuft. If you do prescribe to the theory that chickens are livestock, and you want meat and eggs from your home flock, then youll want to find the best rooster breed for producing meat birds. Before we get carried away here, can you own a rooster? The feathers of Rhode Island Red hens have more subdued colors than the roosters. Blue Silkie13. Blue does work on colors other than black, though. In the fun of getting tiny fluffy chicks, its hard to imagine a timetheywont be welcomeinthe barnyard (or backyard). Also, they dont take up much room, and they eat less grain than their standard-sized cousins. Usually the bigger the bird, the more laid back their chichenality is. They grow in towards the opposing leg and can grow to several inches long. Even the experts are wrong 10% of the time, hence the occasional oops in the sexed chicks you buy. The breed was started in 1854 when a sea captain bought a Malay rooster and mated it with his chickens. They curve up and gracefully arc down into the tail itself. Id say too, but there is absolutely no wattle. From about 6-10 weeks old Wyandotte roosters will be showing their red combs and the presence of red wattles on the sides of their face! Onhybrid pullets, the primary feathers are strong and straight, and the layer of primary covert feathers is obvious and well-developed. And the one without the comb is actually a Breda rooster (pure Bredas do not have combs). , set to crow at sunrise every day may drive them insane. Other colors include blue wheaten, blue breasted red, blue golden duckwing, blue silver duckwing, lemon blue, and even blue Colombian. This breed also varies in terms of size, from the smaller, less popular bantam chickens to the bigger Rhode Island Red hen and Rhode Island Red rooster, which can weigh 6.5 lbs and 8.5 lbs, respectively. They are great for those who want a bird that can handle free-ranging well. They will look a bit puny to start with but eventually the pointed hackle feathers and the curving sickle feathers will give the typical rooster look. Your email address will not be published. These gorgeous birds are big, fluffy, lay lots of brown eggs, and have rich mahogany feathers edged in blue! Again, the theory is wrong. Their body will more rounded and curvier than the boys. Polish- friendly enough. Rhode Island Blue15. Its not flawless, but this gender determination is about 80% accurate. If you dont like it, and as I posted beforejust move on. Many cities have been coming around to the whole backyard chicken movement, passing zoning rules to allow their residents some leeway. White Crested Blue Polish17. Many poultry breeders know this and would roll their eyes at these replies I keep getting over a simple comment on grammar. Blue Breasted Red Old English5. At 0-6 weeks, you will also notice that a roosters comb will be pinker and larger than the hens. When a black-based chicken has TWO copies of the blue gene you end up with a splash. Dont expect them to deter any varmint larger than a field mouse, but a well-handled bantam rooster can be a rewarding and endearing pet. Question: Is it ok to have two roosters or should I find a home for one. The most common combination is a Rhode Island Red rooster over a Barred Rock hen. The American Poultry Association includes many different breeds, both bantam, and standard, that include blue varieties. Just because is a valid reason, albeit a vague one. Between three and seven days old, feather sexing is possible but ONLY if a chicks father was a fast-feathering breed and the chicks mother was a slow-feathering breed. If you choose to raise them, you need to either live somewhere warm or make sure to keep them from getting too cold in the winter. It is also one of the most important. Plymouth Rock chickens are a heritage breed. You can gain a lot of knowledge about them by sitting and watching them interact. If your chicken has beautiful long flowing hackle feathers then they are a rooster. Your answer to these questions will also largely dictate what breed you pick. The typical badult arnyard rooster is easy to spot. However sex-linked birds will not breed true. I doubt anyone thinks there is a breed of chicken that is comprised solely of roosters. These beautiful birds are white with splotches of black, blue, or grey. Whereas a hens comb is much smaller and not as bright. Breeds include theBovanNera(sometimes called Black Rocks or Black Stars) in which Rhode Island Reds are crossed with Barred Plymouth Rocks. So sometimes appearances can be deceptive! They are intensely curious and seemingly unafraid. Required fields are marked *. Maybe it is just regional, but aside from the article written here & one other I read elsewhere at about the same time, I have not heard this term used in any serious agricultural circles. 12. You might be surprised. On the hunt for the best rooster breeds for your flock? A Rhode Island Red rooster is your flocks leader and keeps it in line and safe from predators. If you see two roosters fighting and it looks like an umbrella got stuck in theirthroats, those are the hackle feathers. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Friendly, curious. Your best rooster breed for hatching meat-worthy chickens from your flock will not be a commercial meat bird. What have your experiences been? I had some older ones that I kept for my sister in law. A Rhode Island Red rooster will start crowing at around 16 weeks old. Theyre known for their olive-green eggs, which are becoming a very popular egg color. Somewhere around 8 months to a year, the hormones fully kick in and the rooster is no longer so . Chickens are prey animals, so they find safety in numbers. Blue Rocks are actually a first-generation cross between the normal barred Plymouth Rock and a Blue Andalusian. They will start to develop hackle feathers on the neck and sickle tail feathers around 12 weeks or so. Unfortunately, the size of the white spot will vary considerably, so this method of sexing is not infallible. ). Blue Rocks are actually a first-generation cross between the normal barred Plymouth Rock and a Blue Andalusian. Luckily if you want guaranteed blue chicks, youll just need one black parent and one splash! Your email address will not be published. Where did these magnificent roosters get their start? If you do notice aggression in the flock then you may wish to separate the roosters or rehouse one of them, but its not always necessary! As adolescents the chickens are now taking on more gender assigned characteristics of their sex. Its only a comment and in case you missed it, I did offer a simple solution to what I saw here. Youll notice these roosters will watch over them as they eat, run over if there is any conflict or a debacle, and will generally follow and trail your hens. My frustration also exists at this point because way too many people love to jump on the hate bandwagon these days like they are still in high school and have an emotional reaction to everything they dont agree with and try to incite an emotional reaction from those they are hating on. The Rhode Island Red produces 5-6 medium to large light brown eggs weekly. Still, there are subtle differences between their wings, bodies, and colors from a younger age, but the presence of wattles and combs are the first true tell-tale signs of their sex. Just like a cattle farmer will not have a cow breed nor a bull breed. When a rooster is among the hens he will be watchful and will rarely eat until the ladies have finished. Even when you settle on the best rooster breed for protecting your flock, remember that, just like people, each will have its own quirks and chickenality. They can be quite independently minded at times and a flock of hens can certainly function without a rooster. Pullets have no saddle feathers. Their heavy feathering also helps them stay warm in cold climates. Their appearance is quite different so it is easy to tell the rooster from the hen. The Bantam 4 (duccles) are keen to attack anything that menaces their hens, and are mostly happy to be hand-fed treats when there is no danger. Hes missing a doodle in there,someoneonce observed. You will not get a breed of only roosters, so it is incorrect to refer to a rooster as a breed. Roosters don't. Ta-da! )is the biggest chicken of the bunch! Rhode Island Blues are a medium, production bird - an excellent layer of large brown eggs. Most people think crowing is the ultimate test of a male, and for the most part, theyre right. Similarly, Barred Plymouth Rocks have a light-colored spot on their heads upon hatching larger in males, and smaller and narrower in females. If you are just starting out with chickens, or if you dont want to overcomplicate things, there are a few breeds with blue that can easily be purchased from large hatcheries or even private breeders. Rhode Island Red roosters are used to breed (RIR) hens that are capable of laying 200-300 eggs a year. When raising roosters, read your neighborhoods law thoroughly. Black sex-linkedisa cross between a Barred Plymouth Rock hen and a Rhode Island Red rooster. They develop spurs around 6 . A walking, squawking, feathered alarm clock with rooster spurs, set to crow at sunrise every day may drive them insane. One good reason to have a rooster is that you want chicks! Grown pullets, or hens, are black with red mixed in their neck hackle feathers. In some breeds, hackle feathers are a different color than feathers on other parts of their bodies. If you are interested in blue patterned birds you can find blue laced red or blue partridge Wyandottes, blue copper Marans, and blue brassy back Old English Game Bantams! Unlike a pullet, a cockerels wattles and comb will usually develop early and be larger. Ladies tend to way around 6.5lb and Roosters come in at 8.5lb. Getting along with your Rooster also demands observation, patience and practice. Feathered behemoths are typically very docile, even though they may appear quite imposing. Bantam roosters can make great pets, and if handled a lot, can be amazingly docile. Since blue is heterozygous you will get mostly blue chicks with the rest being black or splash. Thank you for this article! They are originally meat birds but arent as efficient as other meat breeds and are therefore less popular. Required fields are marked *. And this articles intended audience is chicken people who already know that. Nothing more, nothing less. He follows us everywhere and has been curious about everything since he was a chick. Are you wondering whether you have a rooster or a hen in your flock? Sometimes, a rooster does a little dance for the hen to squat for him to mate. There are essentially two kindsof sex-linked crosses: black sex-linked and red sex-linked. Its surprising how much air time my old comment garnered. And there it is again in yet another article. Here are the main differences between Rhode Island Red hens and roosters and how you can tell the difference from an adult age all the way down to baby chicks. They have a lot of personality. The article was somewhat helpful to me. You can read what Ive already posted. It all began with a series of chicken breeding experiments back in 1854 by a man named William Tripp. These classic birds are an excellent choice if you want a little color in your egg carton. it has beautiful tail feathers that are curved, & flowy, & have a sheen to them thats very dark. At hatching, males are whiter and females are red. This is because roosters will begin to develop their wattles from as young as 6-8 weeks old, whereas it will take hens months longer to start showing any real wattles. Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. All to help you prepare your flock accordingly! Rhode Island Blue hens are broody. This cross results in combination blue, red and black chickens. These are absent in females. There may be protective *roosters of a breed*, and I believe that this is what the author needs to be clearer about. Theyre sweet but can be a little nervous.