Not Sure If You've Got A Pullet Or Cockerel? Click Here! Thread 2

[yeye5]

Age of a bird has a lot to do with evaluating gender. You look for different things, at different stages of development.

Might you--or anyone else--have pics of pullets vs cockerels of various breeds?
I'd love to see the comparison so I have a better visual reference.
For example, you told me Bert is a cockerel. IF Bert had a barred rock sister, I'd be able to compare comb colors, feather shapes etc.
Since of course I don't have that many chickens I don't have male and female of any one breed.

 

[junebuggena]

Might you--or anyone else--have pics of pullets vs cockerels of various breeds?
I'd love to see the comparison so I have a better visual reference.
For example, you told me Bert is a cockerel. IF Bert had a barred rock sister, I'd be able to compare comb colors, feather shapes etc.
Since of course I don't have that many chickens I don't have male and female of any one breed.

Barred Rocks, and just about any other breed that is pure for barring/cuckoo can be sexed by color. Males get two copies of the barring gene, one from each parent. This makes males look 'lighter'. Females can only have a single barring gene, and it can only come from the father. This gives females a darker look.
Having said that, just about any chick with a bright red comb by 10 weeks old is a cockerel. Pullets, regardless of breed, don't start to pink up until they are close to laying.



These are all Barred Rock pullets at about 14 weeks old. Some just starting to pink up, some still yellow in the comb. You can also see the broad, rounded back feathers very clearly.

 

[ldawntaylor]

Need better pics.

Are these better?





These should at least give a better look at the feathers. So far there is no wattle growth at all. As stated in my previous post this bird is about 10 weeks old.

 

[junebuggena]

Are these better?





These should at least give a better look at the feathers. So far there is no wattle growth at all. As stated in my previous post this bird is about 10 weeks old.

Much better. Pullet.

 

[rudekoolaid]

ok i have a few more that slowed down long enough for a pic.

We shall call this one unnamed little chicken


This one is Kickstand


Next is Pipsqueak (the runt)




The next 2 are Gloria

 

[yeye5]

Barred Rocks, and just about any other breed that is pure for barring/cuckoo can be sexed by color. Males get two copies of the barring gene, one from each parent. This makes males look 'lighter'. Females can only have a single barring gene, and it can only come from the father. This gives females a darker look.
Having said that, just about any chick with a bright red comb by 10 weeks old is a cockerel. Pullets, regardless of breed, don't start to pink up until they are close to laying.



These are all Barred Rock pullets at about 14 weeks old. Some just starting to pink up, some still yellow in the comb. You can also see the broad, rounded back feathers very clearly.

Barred Rocks, and just about any other breed that is pure for barring/cuckoo can be sexed by color. Males get two copies of the barring gene, one from each parent. This makes males look 'lighter'. Females can only have a single barring gene, and it can only come from the father. This gives females a darker look.
Having said that, just about any chick with a bright red comb by 10 weeks old is a cockerel. Pullets, regardless of breed, don't start to pink up until they are close to laying.



These are all Barred Rock pullets at about 14 weeks old. Some just starting to pink up, some still yellow in the comb. You can also see the broad, rounded back feathers very clearly.

Thank you SO much! This is great info
I had thought Bert's comb was pink-ish, but seeing what you mean by "pale" now I get it. I am so visual in how I learn that I had to see it to understand.
Being that the BR gene can manifest (visually) in a female BR offspring, does that mean it's dominant? If so, why would a male need 2 copies, one from each parent, to appear BR? What would the appearance of a male be if he possessed only 1 copy of the BR gene?
Again, I really appreciate your input and teaching!

 

[chickynelson]

From these photos, I think I see some male saddle feathers coming in. Looks like a cockerel, about 12 to 14 weeks old.

Thank you Junebuggena! I am heartbroken but still thankful that I have three lovely hens. Its been a rough ride with this chicken raising business and I am looking forward to some eggs as a reward. I will give this chicken a little time and see what happens I really miss my Barred Rock and Delaware, who were cockerels, so much. Then I get a cockerel in return ,,,,,,ugh!!

 

[junebuggena]

Thank you SO much! This is great info
I had thought Bert's comb was pink-ish, but seeing what you mean by "pale" now I get it. I am so visual in how I learn that I had to see it to understand.
Being that the BR gene can manifest (visually) in a female BR offspring, does that mean it's dominant? If so, why would a male need 2 copies, one from each parent, to appear BR? What would the appearance of a male be if he possessed only 1 copy of the BR gene?
Again, I really appreciate your input and teaching!

The way the barring gene works, a female can only ever have one copy of the gene. Females can only pass the barring gene to their sons, not their daughters. This makes it a 'sexlinked' gene. Males get a barring gene from both their mother and father. Females only ever get a barring gene from their father.
I'll upload some examples of males with a single copy of the barring gene just as soon as BYC starts behaving normally again.

 

[bubbles22]

This is my first time with chickens so I don't know if it's too early too tell, but I'd like to know if my 2 month old Light Brahma will be a hen or rooster (I can't keep roosters in my neighborhood!) Any help is appreciated, thanks!
*And please let me know if I need to take better or more clear pictures, the fence kind of gets in the way

 

[OneEye]

So this is our Spike, who is either a Production Red, or RIR. S/he is about 18 weeks old, and my sister in law is suspecting She might be a He. No crowing (yet), she's not at the top of the pecking order, but does seem to pick on all the chickens below her, and at least attempt with the two who are above her. I haven't seen any sort of "mounting" behavior or anything (yet), but I figured I'd ask if maybe she's a cockerel. Her feathers are a tad darker in these photos than they typically are, but not really by much. (It's been so hot, we've had the mister turned on above the run and she had just been standing under it!) If I need to get better photos (maybe ones where "she's" not so damp,) I can attempt tomorrow morning.

Let me know what you think!







Edit: Left out a few words by mistake, forgot to close parenthesis.