3 week old ISA Brown Pullets... not sure if one's a rooster?

[margaret1657]

So we got baby ISA Brown chicks from tsc a few weeks ago, and they're supposed to all be females. But, now that they're about 3 weeks old, they're starting to get some permanent feathers. I've noticed that 5 of the 6 are getting normal dark brown feathers, but I know they're sex-linked, so I'm kind of suspicious of one of them in particular that's growing white feathers, and I think it might be a rooster, but I'm not positive. My family is beginner at raising chickens, so we're not sure if this is a rooster. Does anybody know?

Here's what most of them look like, starting to get dark brown feathers so I'm fairly confident that 5 of them are hens.



This is the one I'm suspicious of. I've heard that these isa browns are sex-linked. Is this a rooster???



Thank you.

 

[NorthGeogia]

I got ISA Browns from TSC a couple of years ago. They said they were sold as straight run. I said ISA's are sex linked. They didn't know anything about them. Approximately 50 were pure white, while six had some coloring. I picked the 6. They all turned out to be pullets. Some had a lot of color, one had a white head and colored body, one had a colored head and a white body. So, as long as it has some color, its a pullet. Otherwise, sorry.

 

[NorthGeogia]

By the way...they consistently lay one large egg every day. An excellent choice for a layer. I have a three year old ISA hen from a previous flock. She still gives 4 or 5 huge, although somewhat distorted, eggs per week.

 

[junebuggena]

So we got baby ISA Brown chicks from tsc a few weeks ago, and they're supposed to all be females. But, now that they're about 3 weeks old, they're starting to get some permanent feathers. I've noticed that 5 of the 6 are getting normal dark brown feathers, but I know they're sex-linked, so I'm kind of suspicious of one of them in particular that's growing white feathers, and I think it might be a rooster, but I'm not positive. My family is beginner at raising chickens, so we're not sure if this is a rooster. Does anybody know?

Here's what most of them look like, starting to get dark brown feathers so I'm fairly confident that 5 of them are hens.



This is the one I'm suspicious of. I've heard that these isa browns are sex-linked. Is this a rooster???



Thank you.

What color is the mostly white one's chest? Golden or reddish feathering would mean it could be a pullet. However, if the chest is as white as the rest of the body, it is without a doubt a cockerel.

 

[margaret1657]

Thank you for replying!
It has some golden brown on it's chest, but does that mean it's conclusively a pullet? Because it only has a little bit of brown on it's chest.

 

[ftfarmer22]

Can you get a photo when they are a bit older, with better lighting?

 

[margaret1657]

Can you get a photo when they are a bit older, with better lighting?

yeah, I can get another photo this weekend and post it to the thread.

 

[margaret1657]

I got ISA Browns from TSC a couple of years ago.  They said they were sold as straight run.  I said ISA's are sex linked.  They didn't know anything about them.  Approximately 50 were pure white, while six had some coloring.  I picked the 6.  They all turned out to be pullets.  Some had a lot of color, one had a white head and colored body, one had a colored head and a white body.  So, as long as it has some color, its a pullet.  Otherwise, sorry.

the one I'm suspecting only has a tiny bit of golden brown on its chest. Is it possible it could still be a roo? Is it possible for an isa brown rooster to have a little bit of golden brown at all?

 

[NorthGeogia]

Hmm, to be sure you'll have to wait it out. Keep us posted on what develops. Thanks.

 

[Chicken-Eye]

Exactly the way I felt when I bought 2 chicks when I was completely new to chickens. One of them was a lighter more creamy white and the other had more grey around the edges. They turned out to be White Leghorn cockerels. Ever since then, it's been a mystery to me.

I'd like to the see the birds older in these photos until I lay out all my predictions.