Surprise!

Cock-a-Doodle-Doo

I was turning over the straw under the chicken coop when I heard it. Thankfully Scott was out in the yard too so he knew just which one did it.

 This one.

On New Year's Eve.

19 weeks old.

What the $%#!

Noooooo, is what I wanted to shout. This wasn't supposed to be happening at 19 weeks! From what we'd read, by 8-12 weeks you'd know if there was a rooster in the hen house. I emailed pictures of Lily to the hatchery, but with the holiday we didn't hear back right away.

I also snapped a picture of Verbena. I say snapped because to be honest, I'd been having trouble telling the two of them apart for the past month. So while Scott was holding Lily, I went in search of Verbena. I didn't have to look far, she was right behind me, looking at Lily in a puzzled way.

See Verbena's puzzled look?

The fact that I couldn't tell them apart should have been a clue as to what happened on New Year's Day. Yep, another cock-a-doddle-dooing chicken. Verbena. This time I did yell "noooooo" and chased her across the yard. I'm not sure what exactly I was hoping to accomplish, but alas, there I was trying to shhhh a rooster. Shushing you might wonder? Yes, as we're not allowed to have roosters in the city limits. 

In the meantime, I'd been frantically texting our chicken friends (apologies Jennifer for my text blasts) and looking up information online. FYI, hens can crow but not usually when there is a rooster, or two in our case, in the flock. 

On Monday I got a reply from the hatchery, that yes I had roosters. Brahmas are a slow-to-mature bird apparently, so 19 weeks is not uncommon for the revealing sound. The hatchery sent a handy picture, I feel this should be part of the welcome packet. Any doubt we had in our minds was gone by this point, but it was nice to now have this visual aid:

Hackles, sickles, and saddles oh my!

Check, check, and check. Our girls, eh boys have these feather overlays.

Since I am a thorough person, at times to a fault, I emailed the hatchery asking for a picture of what the Brahma hen is supposed to look like. Drum roll please, ... ... ...

Winner, winner chicken dinner.

Yeah, we don't have hens. Lily and Verbena are indeed boys.

Ironically, I'd been on the My Pet Chicken website looking up information over the weekend. I read a post of person who's Brahma didn't crow until 32 weeks! For those chicken enthusiasts out there, it is a great resource.

Another round of thank yous and apologies to friends and family whom I contacted these past 6 days trying to re-home our roosters. Today I heard back from a colleague, she knows someone who will take our sweet birds! We are sad to have to let them go, but are glad they are going to the same home.

So farewell sweet chickens.