Spurs?

[SuzyB]

What age, roughly, will spurs start to appear?

Still trying to figure out what flavour my poots are (blokes or tarts, OH keeps asking me!) and thought today, I could check for spurs. Im presuming all cockerels have spurs, is that even right?

They are 10 weeks today so if they are boys, would they likely have signs of spurs yet? (which they dont seem to). Desperate to keep them as they are my little poppets and so so tame so fingers and toes crossed they turn out to be girls....

[Suechooks]

My Speckled sussex cockerel was hatched in March so is around 6 months old and he has little lumps just starting to be obvious where his spurs will be.

[Glutton4...]

Asbo has spurs, but he didn't until he was six months. I have Hens with spurs too, so I wouldn't go by that. Pop some pics on here so we can all have a guess.

[Jardiniere]

spurs won 3-1 against wolves today ...goood match LOL

[Scarlet]

C'mon -I love a guessing game - post some pics!

[Snadger]

I have a few cockerels and hens hatched at the same time. The main difference is the hens have dirty backs where the cockerels have been trying to mount them. (This shows up more with white chooks!)

PS Suppose you could get a gay cockerel though?

[SuzyB]

I'll take some pics tomorrow.

[SuzyB]

So then, here we go - bit bigger now, any more guesses to what they might be?

[roitelet]

Rather than looking for spurs I go by the comb development. The cocks produce theirs quicker than the hens.

[Suechooks]

The hackle feathers look quite pointed which would indicate boys and they look like they have attitude!

[RichmondHens]

I think the ones in the first picture are boys, not sure about the second, but I go for comb development too, it's fairly reliable in most breeds for sex ID.

[SuzyB]

Damnblastit. Because Ive only the two poots, and their combs are the same, Ive nothing to compare them too. Boys are my hunch, even though they arent fiesty with the others, havent been sparring like the two boys that lodged with me for a while did but their combs did come in very early.

What age do boys normally start to make a noise?

[RichmondHens]

Depends partly on the breed/type. Last year some of my bantams crowed at only 7 weeks which is the youngest I have known, whereas my LF sussex did not start till they were closer to 16 weeks. My Welsummers are usually somewhere between the two. I think it also depends on whether or not there is an older cock running with them, they sometimes "keep them down".

[Glutton4...]

Looking at the second picture, I'd lean toward Cocks too. But I now NOTHING, so don't quote me! LOL It's just the feeling I get from the attitude of the bird in the picture. Lovely looking bird too, I can understand your wanting them to be Hens.

[Suechooks]

One of my bantam Orpingtons was crowing at 6 weeks and my Speckled Sussex bantam was 21 weeks.