[scoobs]

Hello
2 1/2 months ago we bought 3 hens aged 8,10 and 12 weeks. The 12 week one a buff orpington( Cilla) is developing what I assume are spurs. She's a lovely bird but very scatty and timid. She shows no sign of developing larger comb or wattles. Is it possible/likely for hens to have spurs? Also what other signs apart from the crowing or egglaying can I look out for? The birds were vent sexed by the seller at the time of purchase I haven't a clue about this but he assured me they were girls. Hmm any advice gratfully received.

[Vember]

Hi Scoobs

Any chance you could post a picture of the birds?

Vent sexing chickens is VERY difficult and you have to be very experienced to be able to do it


Sarah

[scoobs]

Thanks for the reply, I shall go and take some pictures now and ask my OH to post them when he comes in from work.

[azubah]

My 4 year old hen has spurs.
I did not have her until she was 2 years old, so I don't know how old she was when they started to grow.
She laid nearly every day for the first year I had her but only about 45 eggs this year.

[karlooben]

its not that uncommon for the hens to have spurs , i have 22 {possiable 1 of those is a  cockerel } and about 8 of mine ex batts included have spurs .

[lucylou]

hiya! ive got 2 sussex bantam girls which both looked like they have spurs growing - they are POL. the spurs havent developed into proper ones though, just little pointed bumps.

[goodegg]

my buff orpington hen which i hatched  last year was a hen for a long time until it started to crow it was quite a shock because it looked like a hen all the time and now i have a beutiful cock bird but the comb still looks like one of a hen quite small for a beutiful big bird and now i am waiting to see if my three hens i bred this year a going to be hens very difficult to tell.

[scoobs]

Oh thankyou for the replies. I have taken the photos but I need to resize them to post so I'm waiting for my OH to do it for me (I'm a bit of a techno phobe)I so  hope Cilla isn't a boy I don't think I would be able to keep her ( neighbours) She's such gentle chicken scared of everything would she not be more aggressive if she were a boy?
 Having a close look at the photos it looks like Waynetta has tiny spurs starting too! I've certainly learned my lesson and will never buy such young chickens again.

[scoobs]

Here I hope are the photos of cilla she's the orange one.

[scoobs]

Oops! Sorry, here's the other (other) photo

[themagicaltoad1]

Cilla looks like a hen to me

[kitkat]

She does, but what about the one on the right[bottom photo]

[raeburg]

looks like a hen to me but orpingtons are terrible to sex, especially if you have only one sex.  Last years werre all girls in the end but until they started laying I wasn't too sure!    This years are 5 hens and a cockerel abd the boy was easy to spot from very early on.  Good luck! 

PS one of my ex bats has spurs and she's definatley a girl!

[goodegg]

i think its a cock bird because it legs look quite thick here is some pics of mine.

[goodegg]

the second pic is my babies i think the lighter colour one in the middle is a cock the other two are hens