7.5 week old Sussex has me stumped

[Paz]

She is 12 weeks old now, and most definitely a she. No comb enlargement/reddening, no saddle feathers and no crowing.

My Jupiter is four month old and doesn’t crow, and I’m pretty sure he’s a gentleman.

 

[Domino-The-Rooster]

OK, the little sussex with be 9 weeks old tomorrow. The pink, sizable wattles still have me thinking it's a cockerel. But it's outlier, in least in my experience, in terms of how slow it's coming in. I've never had one leave me in suspense this long -- usually the little guys are screamingly obvious cockerels by this point. On the other hand, if its a pullet, it's quite unusually well developed in the wattles and comb for this age. I've had one other girl -- a lavender orpington who developed early, hanging pink jowls at 7 weeks, so I'm still not ready to make a 100% cockerel call. Maybe next week? Will keep updating.

First picture is the sussex with two of its hatch-mates -- a mr. obvious cockerel and a pullet -- along with mama hen who is still mothering them at 9 weeks. Second, it alone.

Pullet

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

She is beautiful!!! I hope you can post some more recent pics. My MPC has been a hard experience. I order pullets and get cockerels I have tried to get an EE. They end up being boys.

 

[Morrigan]

She is very pretty, thank you. I've been waiting for the first egg, before updating again with a photo, but she is definitely a she. She is 16 + weeks old today, so I'm still a a couple of weeks out, at least, from egg territory. I will say, she has really big legs for a pullet, which is one reason I was so confused in sexing her.

 

[Painted Calls]

She is very pretty, thank you. I've been waiting for the first egg, before updating again with a photo, but she is definitely a she. She is 16 + weeks old today, so I'm still a a couple of weeks out, at least, from egg territory. I will say, she has really big legs for a pullet, which is one reason I was so confused in sexing her.

Sussex are one of the breeds that continue to confuse people. Almost right up there with Wyandottes.

 

[Red Horse]

I have 2 speckled sussex that were supposed to be pullets and out of nowhere at about 12 weeks one sprouted a huge comb and started acting roostery. No previous signs of bossiness, extra thick legs, etc... total surprise. I resigned myself to having one rooster and then at about 14-15 weeks, the OTHER one grew a massive comb as well and started crowing like crazy, so now I have 2 really good-looking gentlemen. If speckled sussex are really that hard to sex and inconsistent in growth they'll be my last ones, but I sure do love these guys. Couldn't ask for better roosters.

 

[aynesidea]

lol, this is just dominance-
Hens can mount eachother sometimes, its usually either due to the absence of a male, or simply dominance. I'd bet yours did this due to her size, trying to stay up in the hierarchy.

My ducks do this, and alternate "playing the drake". One of them even tries to mate my leg

Female dogs, bitches, do this too, trying to be leader.

 

[Jayteetee]

She is very pretty, thank you. I've been waiting for the first egg, before updating again with a photo, but she is definitely a she. She is 16 + weeks old today, so I'm still a a couple of weeks out, at least, from egg territory. I will say, she has really big legs for a pullet, which is one reason I was so confused in sexing her.

Any updated photos?

 

[Morrigan]

Any updated photos?

Sadly no. She was clearly a she, and beautiful bird, but never laid an egg. (And, no, there was zero chance she was a rooster). When she was 10 months old, I found her sitting the the run, with both legs completely paralyzed. It happened literally in the course of a morning. She came out of the coop fine, but when I when up later in the morning, she was unable to move her legs. Bright-eyed and alert, but unable to stand or move. My husband put her down.

I should have autopsied her, but I was pretty upset. I was convinced I had marek's disease in my flock, and made plans to test the next bird who showed any signs of sickness. But thankfully, that never happened. It's been a year and half now, and all the rest of my flock has been completely and totally healthy, including chicks hatched out last spring. So I know longer believe it was Marek's. I've read that sometimes an egg can become stuck and compress the ischiatic nerve, causing paralysis. I think that is what happened. She was so late coming into lay -- probably there was something not quite right with her plumbing.

So, a sad little ending for my mystery Sussex.

 

[Jayteetee]

Sadly no. She was clearly a she, and beautiful bird, but never laid an egg. (And, no, there was zero chance she was a rooster). When she was 10 months old, I found her sitting the the run, with both legs completely paralyzed. It happened literally in the course of a morning. She came out of the coop fine, but when I when up later in the morning, she was unable to move her legs. Bright-eyed and alert, but unable to stand or move. My husband put her down.

I should have autopsied her, but I was pretty upset. I was convinced I had marek's disease in my flock, and made plans to test the next bird who showed any signs of sickness. But thankfully, that never happened. It's been a year and half now, and all the rest of my flock has been completely and totally healthy, including chicks hatched out last spring. So I know longer believe it was Marek's. I've read that sometimes an egg can become stuck and compress the ischiatic nerve, causing paralysis. I think that is what happened. She was so late coming into lay -- probably there was something not quite right with her plumbing.

So, a sad little ending for my mystery Sussex.

Oh I’m so sad for you and this little chook. Thank you for sharing her pictures. It’s been helpful looking through all the pictures