Okay folks, grab a coffee, this one was a real ride. Been obsessed lately with getting these rooster comparisons right, you know? Pictures lie, eyeballing ain’t scientific, needed something solid. Heard whispers online about “secret tricks” for accurate sizing, so I decided to put ’em to the test myself. Here’s how it went down.
The Frustrating Start
First, just tried winging it. Grabbed my oldest roo, Big Red, and the newest young gun, Flash. Thought, “easy, just hold ’em side-by-side.” Dang, was I wrong.
- Mistake #1: Didn’t think about how much chickens wiggle. Neither wanted to hold still. Period. Flash kept pecking Big Red, Big Red was puffing feathers. Total chaos.
- Mistake #2: Tried taking pics. Lighting sucked, angles were weird, perspective made Flash look bigger than he actually was next to Big Red. End result? Photos looked like crap and told me nothing accurate.
- Mistake #3: Measuring one by one? Flimsy tape measure flapping everywhere, chicken refusing to stand flat. Got some numbers, but were they comparing the right parts? Probably not. Wasted a good hour feeling stupid.
Getting Serious (and Slightly Crazy)
Okay, needed control. Heard about using a fixed point. Got desperate. Literally taped a dang ruler upright to the inside wall of their shed near the roost. Yeah, looked ridiculous. But here’s the “secret trick” part I tried next:
- Step 1: Waited for evening when they’re calmer, hopping onto the roost.
- Step 2: Sneaked up real slow as each bird got settled. Big Red first. When he perched and was chill for a sec, I quickly snapped a picture, phone held exactly level with his feet, showing him against that taped-up ruler behind him. His head height, back height – visible against the scale.
- Step 3: Repeat for Flash later. Same spot, same level camera angle.
Huge difference. Had clear, level pics with a measuring stick right there in the frame behind each bird. No guessing about perspective tricks.
But Wait, There’s Another “Trick”
Heard another tip: Use a common object for relative size comparison in the photos. Chose a bright blue rubber feed bowl everyone knows the size of.
- What I did: Placed that bowl right next to the roost spot before either bird went up. Snapped the pics like before, with the bowl visible near their feet in the ruler shots.
Why this helped? The ruler gave absolute numbers (ish, chickens aren’t statues), but the blue bowl? Instant visual reference anyone could recognize. “Flash stands roughly 1.5 blue bowls tall, Big Red is 1.75 bowls.” Sounds goofy, but it makes the difference crystal clear when showing the photos side-by-side.
The Final Results & Honest Thoughts
After all that fiddling with tape and rulers and bowls like a mad scientist? Finally got shots I could confidently compare.
- Big Red wasn’t just slightly taller than Flash – the pics against the ruler showed a clear 2-inch difference at the back.
- Flash’s body length? Shorter than I thought compared to Big Red, obvious against the ruler.
- The blue bowl instantly showed Big Red’s bulk was way more substantial.
No team meeting required, no arguments. Just cold, hard visual proof thanks to a taped ruler and a feed bowl. It felt a little ridiculous setting it up, but honestly, it freaking worked. Don’t trust eyeballing or casual pics if you want real comparisons. Get creative, get a fixed scale, and maybe use a familiar prop. Game changer.
