6 week old Easter egger, hen or roo + other questions

[ella2025]

Here's Peppa, my beloved Easter egger pullet.

I suspect she might be a cockerel because she has a pretty red face and combs/wattles.

The weird thing is that sometimes, the comb and wattles look bright red, sometimes orange, sometimes completely yellow. Also, her comb and wattles are very small, just brightly colored for some reason. I, think that a roo at this age should have massive wattles, like my boy Fernando right here, whos a white silkie rooster.

First question, is Peppa (first picture) a hen or roo?
Second question, is it normal for chickens to literally lie upside down on my hand and fall asleep?

When I pick Peppa up, she will kick quite a lot, but once I put her in this position, she just chills, sometimes she falls asleep even. I was able to do it easily when she was a week old, but now I can still do it somehow. My other Easter eggers also do this.

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Last question, is there still a chance that my Easter eggers (Peppa is one of them) will have a beard? So far all 4 that I have have a completely clean face. Just FYI, I got them at a local feed store that I'm pretty sure gets their chicks from Ideal Poultry. Fernando the silkie is also from there. Their chicks seem very low quality since the 2 silkies I got from there barely have a crest, and no muffs or beard. Here's the other 3 Easter eggers.

 

[WingItRanch]

Peppa looks like a pullet. Chickens can get flushed with excitement or heat so if she's only occasionally red, I'd say that's probably what it is.

When you place a chicken on its back or hold it upside down, it restricts their breathing. She's calming down because she can't breathe properly. I personally would not hold a chicken this way.

Your Easter Eggers all appear beardless. If they don't have muffs and beards by now, they probably won't get them.

Hope that answers your questions!

 

[nuthatched]

Putting a chicken on its back suffocates it, so yes, normal but absolutely DO NOT do that.

 

[AinaWGSD]

I agree with @WingItRanch. If Peppa's comb was that red all the time I'd say cockerel, but if it comes and goes and sometimes it's pale yellow I'd say it's more likely she just flushes easily. If she is a secret cockerel it could be that the wattles just haven't developed much yet.

I'd say it's unlikely that your currently beardless easter egger will develop beards or muffs at this point, but you never know.

My BYM Rose at around 5 or 6 weeks had a barely there beard

but her muffs have come in since then. Her beard is still really small though.

 

[ella2025]

Thank you so much everyone!! I will MAKE SURE to stop holding them on their back, I didn't know it hurts them!!!!

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I think she’s a pullet

 

[SHbeach25]

Peppa the Pullet