The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Roxy on July 13, 2010, 03:10:30 pm
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I have 6 silkies and 2 light sussex young birds I took off a friend, who had fox trouble and was scared they would be eaten too. As I said in the marketplace post, I have doubts two of the silkies are cockerels. One of the light sussex is a lot bigger than the other, fueling speculation that too is male. He has bright yellow legs, whereas the other does not. Have looked at my other cockerels and this is the same with them (not the silkies though). But these bright yellow legs were not so when they first came. Is this a way of telling male from female .....says she who is now concerned all the legs will turn yellow in the coop!!!
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I dont know about the legs.... but if its any help, with our light sussex the cockerel was obvious by 6 weeks, and crowing (well squarking!) by 8 weeks. his face colouring was more obvious- redder, bigger comb & wattles and ear lobes
don't think they have particularly yellow legs - I'll go out and check!
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His legs are bright yellow, and he is tall, very tall :D Not heard him crow yet, but one of the silkies is crowing .....I will be taking all the cockerels back to my friend and dumping them in her stable!!!!
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are you sure they're definitely pure LS?
ours have decidedly pink legs....
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As she paid only £5 for the lot, I would be doubtful as to the breeding ....but they are the right colour, and look like LS. The pullet has light legs. The silkies are very cute, some are bearded. :D
Having looked at my other cockerels closely, different breeds, quite a few have yellow legs too!!
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We noticed a while ago that our "Head Hen" was developing yellow legs. We thought it may be that she was guzzling the corn they get in the evening :-\ But...we also think she is trying to imitate a cockerel as she seems determined to crow.
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we had a "head hen" like that - Gladys, she has the biggest comb and red wattles but lays well... it took a long time before she got on with the cockerel... she pulled out all his tail feathers first!!
still has pink legs though!
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why are some cockerels so wimpy? they should be like a king walking around the place.
that hopefully explains why eddie looks so rough, he is just a year and a half old and he has some feathers missing.
i hope his son rocky is going to be more of a man than he is and stick up to these hens.
p.s. could that cause a cockerel stress and resulting in poor plumage, eddie is all grey around thighs.
thanks langdon :chook:
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poor old Lenin came to us from next door.... having escaped from his box before being taken to market. he stayed hiding in the bushes for two days before his hunger/thirst got the better of him and we captured him in the shed! he's very wary of people and is hilarious to watch waddling about the place (he's a black silkie)
... the jokes I got out that, my neighbour's silkie cock slipping over the fence etc etc!! ;)
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Oh Little Blue .....do your really get comments like that - and it appeared to me when I visited that it was such a nice neighbour hood too :D
But its made me giggle (yeah I giggle at all sorts of daft things!)
I am very doubtful about Henre's gender. He is the cockerel we fetched from the last battey hen rescue. He is large, and has a large comb, so looks a cockerel. BUT, he hangs about on his own, croons like a hen does, never bothers with the hens at all. And I have never heard him crow!!!
So, is he male or female, or both, or neither!!!
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perhaps both.... it happens, doesnt it.
(the cock jokes were all mine btw, for some reason people think I'm quiet and polite...not sure where they get impression from!!)
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Well, yes, I did actually think you were very quiet and polite ........so you are not then? :D
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;) well..... depends who you ask!!
(no, I'm not really!)
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Well I believe I have at least 7 ls cockerels and they all have pale legs. Anyone want one? For the pot otherwise...