11 week old Light Brahma...hen or rooster?

[plum82]

Hello! My family is brand new to the whole backyard chicken thing. We bought three week-old chicks that were supposedly female, but we gave away our Araucana rooster (formerly Polly) yesterday. Haha...we thought they were all female until he started crowing in the AM. This morning, my daughter came running in alarmed, hollering, "Mom! Cotton is making the same noise Polly was!!" Cotton is our Light Brahma. I went outside to listen, and sure enough, she/he was making a loud crowing noise. It wasn't the same cock-a-doodle-doo noise that the Araucana was making, so I'm hoping she was just being chatty...so please tell me she's a she... *gulp* Thanks in advance for any and all help!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Hard to say FOR SURE. Could you get a shot of his/her saddle (near the tail) feathers?
How old is he/she?
Btw, was the aracauna rumpless? No tail? If it had a tail, then it was an EE. Ameracauna and aracauna is a very commonly overused word for chickens who simply carry the blue/green egg gene, so unless they are the ameracauna / aracauna standard, then they're EEs if they carry the blue/green egg gene



Eta;; OK so 11 weeks... Just saw that... Lol!
Yes, if it was crowing then I'd say roo. But a close up of the saddle feathers would help, they look slightly pointed. Hard to say FOR SURE, but based on the photo, I'm saying roo. Sorry!

 

[plum82]

Ooooh noooo. My 5 & 7 year olds are going to be heartbroken if that's the case. I'll go try to get a better picture. He/she runs away like crazy anytime someone gets close. The farm store where I bought them told me my EE was an Araucana, but he most definitely had a tail, so you're absolutely right. He was my sweetest one, so it was sad to see him go. Luckily he went to a farm with an 8 year old boy who spoils his chickens rotten. He has a heated coop and veggies in his future, rather than a stew pot. That's a slight consolation! Let me see what I can come up with re: saddle feathers and get back to you. Thanks for your response!!!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Are you allowed to have roosters?
If you want one, its risky to do on an adult but if you get more chicks then any 'obvious' Roos can be castrated by an educated vet, usually with a not so high death rate. There's a thread (will have to link) who have lots of people who do it.
The castrating results in a fatter, sweeter, rooster who won't crow and can be kept in the city.
That said, if you want to keep this boy, look into a rooster box. It's a well ventilated box, that stays dark, so instead of when the sun comes up at 5am and him crowing, he'll be sleeping Instead. You just have to get your neighbors to sign a petition thingy that says they're OK with a rooster, and of course, bribe them with fresh eggs (though you'll need a few more hens, ESP if you have a roo)

 

[plum82]

Ok....so hopefully this will help more...

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I'm so sorry, but it looks like a boy for sure

 

[plum82]

The city I live in doesn't allow roosters, and my coop only holds four hens...so due to legal reasons and space constraints, we'll have to re-home him if he is, in fact, a he.

 

[plum82]

Oh no. That's what I was afraid of. I'm so bummed. What are the odds of buying three sexed chicks and having 2 out of the 3 be roosters? Sheesh. I really should play the lottery more. Please oh please tell me that the australorp in the picture is a she. Lol.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

cockerel.

 

[plum82]

Well "she" just crowed at the sunrise. Haha. Guess it's official. Thank you both for your input!