13/14 to early to lay?

[mommyoftwo]

I have a 13/14 week old ISA brown pullet that has started to get a red comb. Is it too early for her to lay? Or could she become a he?

 

[loveourbirds]

they are bred to be early layers, it could be a rooster, a pic would help. if she starts laying its fine, nothing at all to worry about.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Picture would help in case it is a rooster.

 

[Fred's Hens]

The ISA Brown is sex linked, which means the males would be mostly white with a few red/brown feathers on the saddle. He'd be head and shoulders taller than the females, at this point. You'd know. He'd also be trying out his crow. If the bird in question is mostly rust colored with white touches in the rear, it is a female and just an early bloomer.

The combs and wattles on an ISA will reddened greatly at 14 weeks, as they will often begin laying at 17 weeks.

 

[mommyoftwo]

She looks like the hen in the photo. I'll go out and get a photo of her when I go check on them in a little bit. She does have a few more white/tan feathers on her but she not trying to crow at all.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Good No photo is really needed. The cockerels of the ISA Browns are HUGE and mostly off white. They are imposing. You'd know if you had one. Your situation is one of a pullet maturing, just as she should. Soon, they will all have red combs and wattles as they are quickly approaching their time of beginning to lay.


Someone has to be the leader and she's the one. The rest will "blossom" soon.

 

[Fred's Hens]

If you had had a cockerel, you'd have known it a long, long time ago. The white cockerel of the ISA Browns stick out like a sore thumb. Remember folks, these are sex links. The cockerel sprouts his red comb and wattles at 5-6 and by 8 weeks, towers over the pullets who still show nothing but yellow combs.

The OP's birds are now 14 weeks and coming into lay. That one of the pullets sprouts her deep red comb and wattles ahead of the others is not a "rooster scare", but entirely normal development of the pullet. This is the time she shows her redness, as she should.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Here are two ISA pullets. One is sprouting her red comb and wattles, at 16 weeks, while her flock mate shows very little. In a flock of a dozen such pullets, their maturing rates vary, just like junior high kids. LOL





These are sex lined hybrids. The difference between a male and female is night and day.

 

[mommyoftwo]

I can't seem to add a photo using my phone. I added one to my album of chicks. I will have to upload it on this thread when we get home from the beach.

 

[fritzel]

What breed of rooster is this? I grew up with a Roo just like him