[Casey76]

Hi, like other baby animals, chicks also have blue eyes until they "grow up"  My chicks had blue eyes to start with, and it's only been the past week or so since they have started to lighten and change.

Looking at the photos, and given their age I would also say cockerel - sorry

At 7 weeks my girls had no combs at all





but they boys were much further along

[woodside farm]

Hi,
Mine are Marans, Welsummers are very similar.

Michelle 

[traacyken]

thanx everyone for your replys, still pretty scared that the neighbours will go mad if there boys def looks like it now thanx god help me. im v fond of them all people are cruel to do this to a first time owner esp advertising for hens for the garden and eggs, no way i could eat them but know what you mean   there getting lots of feathers and are v pretty now, im v upset i dont want them to got to bad homes but i cant have the noise where i live if  if there cocks. how can pepole be so cruel than to palm them of on genuine first time owners beggars beleif

[woodside farm]

The first chickens I ever had where cockerels, I bought an incubator off someone to hatch my quail eggs (I kept aviary birds at the time) he asked me if i would like seven hens for free? I had just moved and had a large garden so I said yes, someone I knew who kept chickens offered me £5 each for them so I accepted, (didn't like them too much any way, the chickens that is ). It turned out they where all cockerels, these people bred chickens so it goes to show sometimes how hard it is to tell.
Anyway I bought some eggs from the farm shop to hatch my own chickens and 7 years later I have no aviary birds or quail and have loads of chickens.

Michelle

[woodside farm]

I have about 20 Adult Cockerels now, no neighbours to worry about

[traacyken]

gees realy worried about the crowing and the neighbours :blink:is anyone interested in swapping mine for a hen or 2 with the chance i could buy another 2 -3 hens also. im in  lancashire near blackburn, if anyone does id like some about 6 weeks up to about 17 weeks, as i like to sit with them and get them tame, or if you know anybody near me that mite be interested pls let me know thanx all

[woodside farm]

Have you contacted the man you bought them from yet?

[traacyken]

no not yet think i will be wasting my time with him >:(he  def must have new they were cocks, if he do that to somebody id prob get abuse if i phoned him

[Bruced]

If you don't call you'll never know, and if you want to take it further (threat of court action is often handy and cheap in small claims, or trading standards if you are feeling less drastic) you will need to have contacted him first.  Oh, and for people who deal in cash, I always find asking them if they declare such earnings to the Inland Revenue helps if they get uppity, but that's the evil accountant in me.

If you don't take him to task, you are effectively leaving him to do the same to others.

[traacyken]

thort it was odd when i went for them he said he lived a few mins away but told me to meet him on a road nearby,i said id go up strait away and was rushing so sisnt think about it til on way home. never saw where his farm was, just got his moble what was on the add, usualy you meet the peoson at there home esp if its a near as he said

[craig1981]

that does sound a little dodgy but you werent to know . I would suggest seeking advice on this whether it be trading standards or your local council/enviromental health . If he is this dodgy to con you like this then im sure he will be doing it to others and ay even be mis treating his birds or keeping them illegally . Thats working on the theory that most con men do more than one thing wrong . Could you possible get a friend to call him posing as someone who is interested in more birds and see if he says the same to them .

[traacyken]

hi not to sure if  hes advertising i put an ad on a site asking for hens only as pets and for eggs and he got in touch with me. i will look on the site and see if hes selling any may be difficult as lots of poultry ads on there and mite not find any, going to have a nosy now

[craig1981]

good luck . at the very least i would notify your local trading standards and rspca and give them his number . At the very least hes making money by deception . Im sure the rspca will be able to help you with dvice on what to do with the cockerals if thats what they definately are

[traacyken]

hi ive had a look on the site but cant find anything hes selling ???just wish i was 100%sure they are boys, ive had them 2 weeks and there between 8 and 10 wks now, will they def start crowing in a few weeks if there cocks, ???and is thera anything else i should be looking for that proves there def boys thanx

[craig1981]

you could try contacting a local supplier/breeder who does this sort of thing professionally and ask if you can nip your chickens down to them for them to have a closer look . I think its gonna take a pro having a look in person to give you a definate answer .