20 week old Plymouth Rocks, pls help identify sex

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Cockerels

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Me thinks cockerels! (S)he has large red comb and wattles

Hens have large red combs and wattles when they are at the laying stage. So after about 15-16 weeks, you can't tell males by that alone.

 

[GongGirl]

You’ve got yourself 2 gorgeous cockerels!

thanks it looks like a consensus, boys!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Beautiful boys!

 

[Grannysez]

I asked my granny to look and she says the first one is a pullet. The second one could be a cockerel but might be a pullet. You should know better in about 4 more weeks. She also said that the some of the barred rocks in Australia reminds her of the Stukel (sp?) line state side. I asked her why she said which was which and she just kind of laughed. (I'm still learning) then she said some boys just take longer to grow up than girls. And she says they are very pretty.

 

[Ribh]

I asked my granny to look and she says the first one is a pullet. The second one could be a cockerel but might be a pullet. You should know better in about 4 more weeks. She also said that the some of the barred rocks in Australia reminds her of the Stukel (sp?) line state side. I asked her why she said which was which and she just kind of laughed. (I'm still learning) then she said some boys just take longer to grow up than girls. And she says they are very pretty.

In all honesty I thought the first one was a pullet [I have barred rocks] because I couldn't see a definite saddle or ruff but the barring seems to indicate males. I'd like a female to compare to as they look like my girls @ pol.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Both are cockerels.

 

[drumstick diva]

both Cockerels

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Both are cockerels, based on their coloration, but even though they're tail-less for some reason, I see male saddle feathers.

 

[Jack Speese]

You can often tell cockerels from pullets by the barring, even at a young age, especially in a side by side comparison, like it says so nicely in post # 7.. Since the cockerels inherit two genes for the barring, the bars are thinner (i.e., there are more of them per unit area) and the overall appearance of the bird is lighter. The pullets only inherit one gene for the barring, hence the bars are thicker (i.e., there are fewer of them per unit area) and the overall appearance of the bird is darker. Google some hatchery pictures of barred breeds where they show both a rooster and a hen and you'll see what I mean. Like you, I bought what I thought were all pullets two times in the past, but even at 4 weeks of age I could definitely notice that each time I had a cockerel in the mix. Had to home them, as I already had a rooster. Unless you keep your roosters in a "bachelor pad" away from the hens, you have inevitably get fights and bullying. They'll get along OK for a year or two, but with age the dominant rooster becomes more and more aggressive to the subordinate ones, bullying them so much that they spend all their time hiding, even to the point of killing them.