Gender?

[labradorscm1]

Hello Back Yard Chickeners! I just joined this great online community! Looking forward to learning from you all and becoming an active member.
I have two chickens that I would like some help in confirming the gender. They are 17 weeks old, and I have no idea what the breeds are- I have 17 chickens and they all seem to be a big mix.
Thank you in advance for your insight.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don’t know what breed the first one is but he is definitely male at 17 weeks. I’m basing that some on the comb and wattles, that large and that red means male. But when the tail feathers curve down like that, it’s a sure thing.

The second looks like it could be an Araucana or Easter Egger. I’m not familiar enough with Araucana to be able to tell the difference from that photo. It’s probably safer to just call him an Easter Egger. Yes, a him. The pea comb is quite red but the heavy thick legs are a dead giveaway. Saddle feathers look male. As I said I’m not that familiar with the Araucana but that posture looks male.

 

[labradorscm1]

That's what I expected! Thank you so much! More confirmations welcome to calm my nerves before they head to the pot! One rooster is enough for my gals.
Since my chickens are all different sizes/colors/comb shapes, I'm finding it difficult to be sure in the male/female department. So far, finding pointy saddle feathers, even if they are new and growing underneath the round ones, seems like the safest bet. Is that true?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Once they reach a certain age and you learn what you are looking at, pointy saddle and hackle feathers are pretty much a sure sign. So is the tail curving down for males, like your red one. Delicate legs often mean female, heavy legs often mean male, but there are a lot somewhere in between. Comb and wattle size can be a good clue with some, but if they turn red early it normally means male.

With a lot of the signs that a chick may be male or female, these things are more clues than sure signs. They mature at different rates and often you get conflicting signs. You get better with practice. On rare occasions I can tell sex right after hatch, easier with males than females. Often around 5 weeks you can be pretty sure. Again, it’s often easier to say that one is definitely a male than that one is a definite female, but five weeks is when a lot of the clues really begin to show up. I still can get surprised at three months, one I thought was a female turns out to be a really slow developing male. That happened to me last year.

 

[drumstick diva]

agree with Ridgerunner

 

[Pork Pie]

I think that the SOP for araucana requires slate / green legs, so yep, I'd go with an EE - he's a handsome fella, either way.

 

[BantamLover21]

Both are cockerels. First one is a production red, and the second one is likely an Easter Egger.