5.5 Week Old Black Australorp "Hen"

[faulkan]

My fiancée and I are very new to backyard chickens and this is our first flock of hens. We bought 1 each Gold Laced Wyandotte, Barred Rock, Ameraucana and a Black Australorp. I'm beginning to think that the she is a he. I sincerely hope this is not the case but every photo I've seen online of this breed does not have a comb and wattles that are this pronounced. I live in a normal suburban neighborhood where the homes are less than 20' apart. Although legal in Fort Worth, a rooster would not be welcome here.

Is it still too early to tell or do I have a roo?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - thanks for joining us. I'd say thats quite a lot of comb development for a girl! I could well be wrong (i hope so, for your sake) so maybe wait until the experts chime in.

Fingers crossed

CT

 

[CluckerCottage]

I have a 22 week old BA pullet named Nubby (she is missing part of a toe).
She did not show that kind of comb/wattle development until she was around 13 weeks.
Yours is a cockerel.
Could you keep him if you used a no-crow collar?

 

[faulkan]

Thank you so much for your help.  That's pretty much what I was afraid of.  I've seen pics of many that are considerably older than our 5 week old girls that had little to no comb at all like the other 3 of ours. As far as the collar goes, I may be able to depending on how much it will actually muffle the crow. My backyard is the epitome of postage stamp so there's no room for more chickens nor do I want upset neighbors due to noise.

Now that we've established that she is a he, would it be best to rehome him now or later? I want to do what's best for the remaining 3 girls. I have a friend that will add him to his flock when I'm ready.

 

[faulkan]

Here's our whole flock patrolling our tiny back yard.

 

[faulkan]

I will miss my baby penguin.

 

[Pork Pie]

Thank you so much for your help. That's pretty much what I was afraid of. I've seen pics of many that are considerably older than our 5 week old girls that had little to no comb at all like the other 3 of ours. As far as the collar goes, I may be able to depending on how much it will actually muffle the crow. My backyard is the epitome of postage stamp so there's no room for more chickens nor do I want upset neighbors due to noise.

Now that we've established that she is a he, would it be best to rehome him now or later? I want to do what's best for the remaining 3 girls. I have a friend that will add him to his flock when I'm ready.

It may be better to wait until he is 4 months or so (or once he starts crowing) so that he can stand up for himself in a new flock IMO. Sorry about having to let him go, but at least you have found a new home for him, which is more than most cockerels get!

 

[faulkan]

It may be better to wait until he is 4 months or so (or once he starts crowing) so that he can stand up for himself in a new flock IMO. Sorry about having to let him go, but at least you have found a new home for him, which is more than more cockerels get!

Thanks again for your input. You guys in these forums have been a huge help during our research phase. I did tons and tons of reading before we even bought the chickens just to make sure it was something we could stick with as well as giving them a proper home.

 

[Pork Pie]

You are most welcome