I think my she is a he

Compare the two Rhode Island Reds

The chooks are 3 months old now. This week they started saying brock brock instead of cheep cheep, and they have developing crops and increasing appetites. In addition to the grower pellets they are mowing through my kitchen scraps and processing garden waste like a dream. I’m in love!

Why don’t more people have backyard chickens?

Now the concerning part. Of my five chooks I have two Rhode Island Reds. Hatched on the same day, I was expecting them to look fairly similar. Unfortunately one is bigger, and has a *significantly* bigger crop. I’m concerned, and my dad (who works in the egg industry) is too.

My potential rooster

I think my she is a he.

There are more problems with this that I can count, but to start with – roosters are against my council regulations. If this clucker turns out to be a rooster, it simply can’t stay. Luckily the farm I bought the chooks from offer a sexing guarantee, so they should *ahem* replace my  rooster with a hen of the same age.

I hate to think of the fate that befalls my poor little guy.

Here’s hoping that my big girl is just a little ‘well developed’ for her age…

If it turns out well, then she may need to be renamed Bertha.