chocolate orphington

This Chocolate Orpington is Ruffling My Gender-Detecting Feathers

There's nothing like a chocolate Orpington to make you question everything you thought you knew about chicken gender. I've always had a knack for telling hens from roosters, but this one? Total fowl play. At almost six months old, they've got growing spurs and feet that mean business, yet those tail feathers are screaming rooster energy. It's the feathered equivalent of a cliffhanger. I'm really hoping this is just a dominant hen strutting her stuff because I'm already attached, and city rules don't exactly welcome crowing at dawn. The suspense is egg-cruciating. If you've ever second-guessed yourself on a gender reveal, you'll feel right at home with this cluck-tastic dilemma.