Hen or cockerel

Dtp1979

We have a stray. Hen can stay, cockerel will go. Any farmers out there know the difference by looking at it?

Looks like a chicken to me 🤣... Sorry couldn't resist.

If your in FB, maybe try backyard chickens Ireland and give a full body photo

maestroamado

I don't think there be eggs for breakfast...

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832716#Comment_118832716

Feck. Kids already attached. Are you certain?

topofthewind

Head looks exactly like the local hens here. I’d say it’s a hen.

maestroamado

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832709#Comment_118832709

"finger lickin" tell the kids you got in Aldi...

farmerphil135

Looks like an aul hybrid hen. Does it have spurs? Or cock feathers?

Donald Trump

You can get banned from boards.ie for posting cock photos

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832743#Comment_118832743

No idea what any of those things are 🤣. I thought people could tell from the red leathery thing on its head. God I sound like such a city slicker. I’m not, both my parents are from farming backgrounds!

garlic bread

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832747#Comment_118832747

😄😄😉😉

893bet

Based on that image then you can have a Sunday dinner once rather than breakfast every morning.

whelan2

I'd say it's a hen.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118832819#Comment_118832819

More suitable for the pot than the oven.

As a city slicker living in rural Ireland I have chickens( getting more tomorrow).

I've even raised them for meat. I know a chicken doesn't come from Aldi 🤣

Lime Tree Farm

Look up pictures of Rhode Island reds for comparisons between appearances of the hens and roosters of that breed.

Danzy

Given that it is a Rhode Island Red hybrid it is probably a hen, they are sex linked so the breeder spots and removes the rooster at birth by feather colour. They aren't commonly bred but are the most common hen. Ie they are bred by a small few and hatched in very large numbers in incubators.

Unless you have some one near by breeding them or had the conflux of events to throw out such a hen, unlikely.

What are its legs like?

Personally going by size and colour I would reckon a hen.

Dtp1979

Here’s another image

Danzy

Hen.

Size of it, the small foot spur, it's breed.

A young hen at that, point of lay pullet, probably 15 weeks.

Danzy

I'd cut its wing feathers on one side if I was you.

Some one thought just because she was behind a 12 foot wall that she was going to stay.

Dtp1979

I have the wing already cut 😉. Free eggs wohoo

Stephen_Maturin

An old trick is to stick the edge of a piece of card under some of the neck feathers - if the feather tips are more pointed/trianguluar that suggests a cockeral, the tips of hens feathers are said to be more rounded

Base price

It's a mature hybrid hen (not a Rhode Island) by the size of her comb and wattles and their colour. Her legs also look greyish in colour with noticeable scales in the picture with indicates she is mature. A pol would have yellow legs and less mature comb and wattles. She does look healthy and best of luck with her.

Deub

At that size, a cockerel would be crowing.

Dtp1979

Turns out she’s a hen. She’s popping out eggs that make Tesco large eggs look like peanuts

KieferFan69

Perhaps it is transitioning op

Dtp1979

She can transition into an ostrich for all I care, as long as she stays laying eggs

KieferFan69

Please don’t kill her

Dtp1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118860394#Comment_118860394

why not? Talk about a renewable animal. Sunday dinner mmmm.

im kidding. It’ll be a family pet after it’s finished laying 🙂

Lime Tree Farm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118860365#Comment_118860365

Not really, it takes an hour & a half to boil an ostrich egg. Don't know if that is for a soft or hard boiled one