[stujem]

Hi all, I had 4 chickens yesterday, 2 warrens browns £5 each and 1 Sussex £10 and a black rock £10. I hope I did not pay too much for them as I had 2 eggs already one yesterday which was laid in the nesting box and one I found under there perch this morning. But how do you tell how old they are. Also I was reading a chicken book my mum in law give me at Christmas, and it says that perches for chickens should be 3"x 2" is that right? Any help I would be grateful

[Casey76]

Hi Stujem, once a hen reaches adult size at about 14 weeks it is difficult to tell their ages, unless you have a record of their hatching date.

As a pullet gets ready to lay her comb and wattles will grow quite quickly and then turn red, but this wont happen at the same time even within a breed.

After that, looking at the scales on the legs can give a very broad "younger or older" estimate, in that younger hens have very tight leg scales, and older hens - usually over a year, and after their first moult - whill have larger, looser leg scales.

Hens (opposed to pullets) will also look and feel more "solid."  But it is really all a guessing game!