Need help sexing Easter Egger and Barred Rock

[highrockieschic]

I bought 7 chicks a little over a month ago and from what I've been reading two of my chicks may be cockerels that were supposed to be pullets. They are about 4.5 weeks old... Here are my pics:


This is my barred rock. We've been calling this one "the runt" because s/he barely has tail feathers and just looks scraggly compared to my other barred rock chick. My other one's wattles are still yellow and the comb is slightly smaller than "the runt." And she has fluffy feathers around her butt, unlike this one.


My Easter Egger. This one started being really downright mean to my Buff Orpingtons. We had to separate them because the brooder is getting too small. The Buffs don't really have any place to get away from the mean EE. This chick doesn't have the soft feathers like my other Easter Egger chicks and doesn't have the fluffy feathers under the butt. This one also has a couple curled tail feathers, while my others have a lot of fluffy tail feathers. I'm thinking these are both cockerels, but is it too soon to tell?

 

[BantamLover21]

They both look like cockerels to me, though I could be wrong about the EE.

 

[Cyan Night]

Your BR looks like a male, but I'm unsure of the easter egger as well. I'll guess female for now

 

[smarsh]

yes, nearly certain they are both males. the barred is definitely looking like a rooster but the color is all wrong for a male barred rock. I am guessing cuckoo maran roo

 

[Coop Deville]

The BR/Cukoo is a cockerel.

 

[highrockieschic]

So my easter egger has started getting red flecks on its wings... Just checking, this is strictly a cockerel trait? Here is a close up of the feathers:

 

[Basskids08]

How many rows on the comb? One row usually equals girl, three rows usually equals male!

 

[debid]

So my easter egger has started getting red flecks on its wings... Just checking, this is strictly a cockerel trait? Here is a close up of the feathers:

When it looks like that, yes. There are females with red in their patterning but you have a cockerel developing his wing patches.

 

[highrockieschic]

I thought so. The hatchery said we have to wait until they crow or until they get pointed hackle and saddle feathers. They said you can't tell until then... but I beg to differ! It's a bummer we got 2 cockerels out of 7 that were supposed to be pullets.

Thanks for the confirmations!

 

[highrockieschic]

Just an update. My EE turned out to be a cockerel. Here's a pic:



This pic was taken a couple weeks ago, but you can clearly see his comb is pretty big and he has the beginnings of sickle feathers on his tail.... besides the obvious patchy coloring that is characteristic of a male EE.

My BR on the other hand I'm thinking is a pullet. The feathers filled in and she now looks very similar to my other BR. In fact, it's tough to tell them apart, except the tail feathers on the BR I thought was a cockerel are coming in curled at the tips.... Probably because she is a hatchery bird.

Here are some pics: They are nearly 12 weeks now.


The "runt" is the one in the back.


Here she is in the middle. You can kind of see the tail feathers. They all curl under. Silly birds.