8 straight runs... now 8-9 weeks old... 7 likely roosters?!?

[MixedFlock23]

WOW how many roosters are you planning on keeping

All of them.
Our plan is to keep the Ayam Cemani roo with the 7 hens and 7-9 pullets in the large coop/run, and the 3-5 other cockerels will live as celibate bachelors in the smaller coop/run. We don’t intend to cull any bird. Five are sexed pullets and eight are straight run. I’m hoping that got us 9 pullets & 4 cockerels, but we will see!
Currently only the four are crowing (now 14 and 15 weeks) and they are the only ones who kept up with the roo chest bumps, but yesterday I put the two crowing silkies and the Polish in the chicken tractor, so maybe now the Ayam will let me know if the rest are indeed pullets... or if other cockerels are just blending in with them! I’ve got my eye on the white frizzle Silkie (hoping the streamers are just due to the frizzling) and the Cochin (those red wattles bounce between yellow tipped and totally red). I do believe the other two straight runs are female (showgirl & Brahma).

 

[MixedFlock23]

Well, the chickies are over 18 weeks old now.
I still have the Ayam Cemani cockerel in with the 9 that I hope are pullets. (There have been zero chest bumps or challenges since I put the other three crowing cockerels out of this pen.) The two in question are the cochin and the frizzle Silkie.
I’ll attach several photos of the bantam mottled Cochin and the white frizzle Silkie. Since they are living harmoniously, I’m leaving them together for now. Thoughts on genders at this point?

 

[Painted Calls]

Well, the chickies are over 18 weeks old now.
I still have the Ayam Cemani cockerel in with the 9 that I hope are pullets. (There have been zero chest bumps or challenges since I put the other three crowing cockerels out of this pen.) The two in question are the cochin and the frizzle Silkie.
I’ll attach several photos of the bantam mottled Cochin and the white frizzle Silkie. Since they are living harmoniously, I’m leaving them together for now. Thoughts on genders at this point?

Cochin is a pullet. No clue on the Sizzle.

 

[MixedFlock23]

Cochin is a pullet. No clue on the Sizzle.

Thank you.

Hurray!! I just love her. She’s the first to come greet us each time we come into the run. One of my three lap chickens.

I also have no clue on the Sizzle. Some days I think for sure it’s a cockerel (based only on how tall it stands) and other days I think it looks like a pullet. The comb/wattles are nothing like the two crowing Silkies I have in the other pen. They haven’t really grown at all on the Sizzle. I did trim the feathers of all my Silkies because they were poking in their eyes, especially the curly Sizzle feathers. It’s head poof looked more girly before the haircut. I guess I’ll find out in the spring if I get eggs or a crow! (The other two have been crowing for weeks, but I know I can still have a slow maturing cockerel with the sizzle.)

 

[Painted Calls]

Thank you.

Hurray!! I just love her. She’s the first to come greet us each time we come into the run. One of my three lap chickens.

Bantam Cochins are the best.

 

[MixedFlock23]

Bantam Cochins are the best.

I think so too! She’s our first bantam Cochin. My other two super friendly pullets are my splash Maran and my exchequer leghorn.

 

[Painted Calls]

I think so too! She’s our first bantam Cochin. My other two super friendly pullets are my splash Maran and my exchequer leghorn.

Be careful. They're like potato chips. (Can't have just one)

 

[MixedFlock23]

My pullets are laying! I’ve only seen the Showgirl lay an egg right in front of my own eyes, but I saw the Maran on the chicken cam leave the darkest egg in the nest box when she hopped out. I’m not sure how many are laying... maybe up to 7 of the 8 pullets, but at least 4. Several of the lighter brown eggs have different speckles. I’m hoping my Easter Egger (Steele Egger) isn’t laying yet—she’s supposed to give me blue or green eggs! (1 in 64 will lay tan—and one of my two older EEs lays tan. I can’t have that bad of odds that 2 of 3 lay tan!)
All that to say, you were right about the Showgirl! I still haven’t heard the frizzle Silkie crow, but he looks like a cockerel now and he’s been in with the crowing cockerels for weeks and there is no fighting or mating. I think it’s a harmonious bachelor group. I’ll attach of various colors of eggs I’ve collected this month (the pullets started laying February 1st or a day or so before). I only get 1-3 pullet eggs a day so I don’t know if I truly have 7 laying or if the speckles can change color and I only have 4 laying.
I’ll attach photos of the eggs just in case anyone is still following this thread & may know about the speckles. Do I have 7 layers? Or are those four light brown eggs on the right side of the first photo (& close up in the second photo they are the middle egg and the three in the bottom row) from one bird whose bloom changes color?
I’ll put a pic of the frizzle too.

 

[MixedFlock23]

And... I heard an unfamiliar crow a day or two ago & today I saw the Frizzle white Silkie crow! Out of 8 straight runs, I have 3 pullets and 5 crowing cockerels! (& it took just over 6 months for the last Silkie to crow)

 

[MixedFlock23]

Update: The bachelors are all doing great together. They didn’t leave their coop at all when the snow was on the ground. No fighting in their coop either. (Snow photo from 2/18.) Now they are out & about enjoying the sunny days. (Today’s photo of The Frizz.) They will be seven months old in a couple of days.

The three pullets from my eight straight run chicks are doing great as well. I’ve watched Showgirl & Cochin pop out eggs, but I haven’t witnessed Brahma actually lay. Here are updated photos of the bantam Buff Brahma, bantam mottled Cochin, and the Showgirl (nearly seven months old).

Lastly, I’ll upload a photo collage of what egg colors I should get from my eight total pullets (the 3 in this thread and 5 hatchery sexed) compared to what eggs I’ve seen laid in person. My eggs are in the same order as the hatchery screenshots and are labeled. The eggs at the bottom I have not seen laid in person & don’t match any of the other eggs—I’m guessing my Wyandotte and Buff Brahma are laying them. The smaller one is more pink & one other is more light brown. Hopefully soon I’ll catch them laying in person. (Or I’ll figure it out when one mystery egg color remains bantam sized.)