It might not have been a question of gender but of breed. They could have very well been meat birds that are not known for laying many eggs. At 8 months that isn't a sign they will never lay. Some are just slower to mature.

If you had pics of the old flock someone might be able to tell you why it took so long for the others to give you eggs.

 

The wife is the TikTok'r. I'll ask and see if she has something.

-sterling

 

First is a few months ago, while the second is way back when they were still chicks.
Sorry about the quality.

-sterling

 

Well, they don't look anything like the meat birds here in the states.

I take it they raise the birds to a certain age to be able to tell sex before putting them up for sale.

 

I have no idea about sexing. There was no claim, that I am aware, for sex at the time. Just that they were a laying breed. They were pretty young. just barely hatched from one SiL, looked to be a few weeks old from the second. Though, being new, I'm not a good judge. All I got in response to the questions on breed was that they were free, and yes, yes, yes, a laying chicken, and free, did you not hear, FREE!.

They do not even closely resemble any of the yard birds i see here. Because of that I trusted the initial claim that these were a laying breed. I couldn't understand what the truck with the loudspeaker that gave them away was saying.

We lost quite a few initially. I had stated I wanted laying hens and a coop 'there' after the house was finished. Then a dozen chicks showed on the doorstep two days later, then a dozen more (older) when these were reduced due to attrition.

We did the best we could, moving from cardboard box, to wicker cage, to jury-rigged coop, but we weren't living in much better than a box ourselves at the time. We lost quite a few to gentle rain (get inside stupid), dog/cat, a snake, and at least one got out and just wandered off. The whole thinking process here is very cart/horse inverted. Create the need, then you can justify the cheap, slip-shod, rush job you had to do to fulfil it. <rant complete>

I've got Rhode Island Reds now, and a source for both Rhode, as well as Isbar Eggs. So, I'm good. Just wondered if we gave up too soon on these.

-sterling

 

Every breed is a bit different for sexing at a very young age. Wings in one breed. Color in another. Comparing two of the same breed, if one has a larger, redder comb, it's a rooster.

I stink when it comes to most hard feathered birds when it comes to breed and sex. Silkies ruined me. Or I should say I never bothered learning about the others.

There are a couple of people I rely heavily on for help in that regard. Identifying your breeds will be harder since they're over there and more than likely mixes.