CoopCam in Mashpee

There is a wealth of information out there on raising chickens. Chickens enthusiast are happy to share their stories and experiences. On Chicken Keeping, Terry Golson blogged about Birds of a Feather, Roost Together. Explaining that if you have a mixed flock, the birds of the same breed will roost together at night in little clicks.
After reading that, I noticed my three look-a-like Buffs cuddle together on the roost in the henhouse, while Red (looks slightly different) roost alone on the edge of the nest box. Perches that are too narrow cause the birds discomfort, so we added these (see before/after pictures) for her to rest on. As dusk approach, Red is cozy in the henhouse once again.

Sometimes, the hens get dirty and need to be hand cleaned. In this case, Red was below a fellow hen on the roost in the henhouse and got pooped on. I know its nasty but I’d rather take care of it than have her walking around like that.
I keep old socks handy for such chores. With a little warm water and mild soap she was good to go in no time. To her it was a spa day and enjoyed being pampered!

I fear I have a rooster. I wanted all hens, but was told there were no guarantees. With Buff Orpingtons the male and females look alike until the crown and wattles develop. My chickens are just going on five months old. All this time, one of the hens is larger and darker than the other three and I feared she was a rooster. I was away on vacation and upon my return, I noticed a substanial difference in this one bird (not the larger, darker one). There has been no crowing, yet. Let’s hope the neighbors don’t mind!

hen	rooster?