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Production Red Hen or Roo (I have my suspicions)

post #1 of 5
5/4/12 at 8:07am
Thread Starter 

My pullets are now at the 8 week old stage and I have my suspicion that one is not a hen but rather a roo.  DH says "wait and see it might be developing faster", and I've seen some reds with pretty large combs, so I'm willing to wait and see for a while yet, but I really do not want a roo in my flock. 

 

Since I'm not sure how to tell by feathering, I'd like some advice from those with more experience (this is my first flock of chickens) as to whether this could maybe be a hen, or whether it's actually a young roo.

 

First pic is saddle/tail feathers as it's feeding:

DSCN0535.gif

 

lifting it's head to pay attention to surroundings as it's feeding:

 

DSCN0536.gif

 

and the view that makes me question the most, it and another young one the same age taken side by side:DSCN0531.gif


I have others in the flock that have darker red combs, but not as tall as this little one.  And I have a couple that have very yellow combs with barely a tinge of red, although they are all only 1 day apart in age.  Right now approximately 8 weeks old

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post #2 of 5
5/4/12 at 8:31am
Looks like a pullet to me. I don't see any saddle feathers on your chick.

Here's my 7-8 week RIR.
600262c2-f620-585b.jpg

All my pullets were red combed by 8 weeks. I also give vitamins and probiotics daily until 3 months of age. I think that's why mine developed early. However I did not get eggs until 5 months or do.

Look at my 6 week salmon Faverolle pullet, her comb is super pink!
600262c2-f6b7-bd8f.jpg
Edited by Nicole01 - 5/4/12 at 8:34am
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post #3 of 5
5/4/12 at 11:34am
Thread Starter 

Thanks Nicole!  I'm not sure exactly what the saddle feathers would look like, so I'm not sure what I was looking for. 

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post #4 of 5
5/4/12 at 5:20pm

The first pic kinda looks like a boy tail although the saddle feathers are not very pointy. Also, if they are sexlinks then they will all be girls. The heads look female.

 

Nicole, You sure the Salmon Faverolle is a female? lol

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post #5 of 5
5/4/12 at 6:20pm

I'm sorry but that looks like a roo. Look at the comb and the wattles compared to the other, and the tail feathers. I don't know, I may be wrong, but that's what it looks like to me. All of my girls combs and wattles pretty much developed at the same time, the only difference is that some got redder than others at first, but their combs and wattles were pretty much the same size.

1 German Shepherd, 1 Borador, 1 Malitpoo, 1 West Highland Terrier, 1 German Shorthair Pointer puppy, 3 Australorps, 6 Red Sex Links, 1 Black Sex Link, 1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Tetra Tints (aka: Amber Sex Link) and 9 Easter Eggers.

 

YES, I had to thin my flock out. It went from 57 to 28.  :(

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1 German Shepherd, 1 Borador, 1 Malitpoo, 1 West Highland Terrier, 1 German Shorthair Pointer puppy, 3 Australorps, 6 Red Sex Links, 1 Black Sex Link, 1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Silver Laced Wyandotte, 2 Golden Laced Wyandottes, 2 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Tetra Tints (aka: Amber Sex Link) and 9 Easter Eggers.

 

YES, I had to thin my flock out. It went from 57 to 28.  :(

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