Chicks - Grow With Me - The Third Month and Gender Reveal!

Penguin and Buffy playing "peek-a-boo"

At the start of their third month, the chicks were still sounding like chicks, chirping away. We felt a bit relieved when we posted up photo's of Buffy up and everyone commented that Buffy was a girl (including breeders >.<). I was still a bit suspicious as Buffy's comb was getting bigger and a bit more pink with every passing day.

Buffy at 9 weeks, comb is larger and pinker than at 7 weeks

Penguin on the other hand still has the smallish comb, although that is getting quite pink. The chirps are sometimes interspersed with a cluck-like sound. They are growing up very fast. At this age, we can't pick them up with one hand easily any longer (they wriggle a bit) so two hands are needed. We've noticed that both of them like having "chest bump" games and we thought that meant that they were roosters, but then we were told that all chicks like to play those games.I was still skeptical, they look like rooster "playing" to me.

At the 9-10 week mark, they were big enough to mingle with the hens. Basically, the hens ignored them if the chicks stayed away. This was fine for us, which meant that we could let them run around in the yard and not shut them up in the chicken tractor. Penguin was the same size as his biological mum (Pippy) the bantam.

On weekends we would let them all mingle together, but during the week, whilst we were at work, we would keep the chicks in the run, which protects them form any overhead predators. In the evenings we would collect them and bring them inside to sleep in the cage. After a few cuddles of course! In the morning, I would make my coffee and let the chicks out to play inside the house for a bit. There is nothing they liked more than to sit on your lap in the morning. Then they would eagerly wait to be let out into the yard with the other chickens. 

One day I led them to the backdoor, but had to make a detour to the toilet. They were waiting impatiently at the door and I heard a funny "squawk-squawk!" noise. My heart sank, Penguin made a rooster noise. I watched carefully if he would make the same noise again...

Yup, that's his baby crow. Let's hope that Buffy is a girl.  We held on to this hope for about a week.

Then one morning, as Penguin let out his morning squawk, a more delicate crow was heard...

Yup, two roosters. We get all the luck.

Well, Buffy's comb was getting bigger and bigger everyday, it was only a matter of time before the crowing started. Penguin on the other hand, didn't show many other signs. He is extremely talkative though. Always clucking as he walks.

By now, the chicks were really too big to say indoors, as they get bigger, their poos get bigger and it was starting to smell up the house. So out they went, under the veranda. They quickly learned that this was their sleeping quarters and would go back to their cage every evening. Clever boys. I would let them out every morning and give them a cuddle before bed every evening.

Join Mr Penguin and Mr Buffy (we can't change their names now) for their next set of adventures!