A hen or a cockerel? 8 days shy from its 6-month birthday. Other hens of its age already started laying eggs from month 5. I'm worried. Help!!

[Shady77]

 

[Perris]

looks like a male to me

 

[Shady77]

I'm very confused mate. The other rooster who's the same age as this one looks slimmer and crows as well. This one neither lays eggs nor crows. This one is the fattest among all. On top of that, lazy as well. Can chickens be gay too?

looks like a male to me

 

[Perris]

I'm very confused mate. The other rooster who's the same age as this one looks slimmer and crows as well. This one neither lays eggs nor crows. This one is the fattest among all. On top of that, lazy as well. Can chickens be gay too?

they can be hermaphrodite and intersex and it can get really complicated at the genetic level. Have a look at this
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/100315-half-male-half-female-chickens

 

[LaFleche]

Looks like a late developing male to me.

The other rooster who's the same age as this one looks slimmer and crows as well.

As the crowing one is in charge, the bigger one has no responsibilities and can enjoy his junior life.

This one neither lays eggs nor crows. This one is the fattest among all. On top of that, lazy as well.

This would be the reason he does not crow yet. Smaller breeds develop much faster and larger breeds often need several more months to reach maturity.

 

[Shady77]

Looks like a late developing male to me.


As the crowing one is in charge, the bigger one has no responsibilities and can enjoy his junior life.

This would be the reason he does not crow yet. Smaller breeds develop much faster and larger breeds often need several more months to reach maturity.

What do you think of a tentative time for a larger breed rooster to start crowing? And we sure that it's a rooster?

 

[LaFleche]

What do you think of a tentative time for a larger breed rooster to start crowing? And we sure that it's a rooster?

The smaller but more mature male is suppressing his development, so there is no telling when he will start to crow as this would immediately bring the dominant male's attention to him which then could start to fight him.
Large fowl cockerels often try to stay under the radar to avoid being attacked and ostracised from the flock.

I am sure that he is a rooster, his male feathering is evident.

 

[Shady77]

The smaller but more mature male is suppressing his development, so there is no telling when he will start to crow as this would immediately bring the dominant male's attention to him which then could start to fight him.
Large fowl cockerels often try to stay under the radar to avoid being attacked and ostracised from the flock.

I am sure that he is a rooster, his male feathering is evident.

Thanks for the clarification. But it's comb is smaller than that of hens but when it was the first one among all to grow comb and wattles. And he looks larger than hens too, tbh.

 

[SilverBirds]

6 months old? I'd say that is a female.

 

[Yardmom]

@LaFleche what male feathering are you referring to? My eyes can't see everything in a picture, but the saddles look rounded to me.
At OP the feathers in front of the tail on a hen are rounded, but on a cockeral would be pointed. The shine on the tail can be on a pullet ot cockeral.