Am I a boy??????????? RESULTS ARE IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[khable]

Ummmm.....

tiffanyh do you have a picture of your mature gals??

I would have thought a rooster would have made himself known before 15 weeks.

This change came on quickly within the last 2 weeks.

Ummm.....

 

[speckledhen]

Let me weigh in again and say I hope it IS an early maturing pullet. Birds are individuals as well as captives of their breed characteristics so it is possible it is a pullet, however, it looks as developed as a fully mature hen in the comb and wattles. BO roos develop fairly slowly to their full potential, though, so it could still be a cockerel slow to develop his hackles. Just in contrast with your others, I'd say cockerel, but I will be happy to be proven wrong-hey, I'm not infalllible, in chicken sexing or anything else. Look closely at the saddle and hackle areas and see if maybe underneath the main feathers, there are some pointy ones in there.

 

[khable]

I truely hope it is an early maturing hen.....

Speckledhen... .You are speaking greek to me... .Hee hee...

Saddle and hackle areas???? Pointed feathers????? who, what, where???

Hee hee....

I am new to this... what would pointed feathers tell me?? and where exactly do I look??

Thanks for the hand holding on this one.

 

[FamilyOfChickens]

Looks like a roo to me, also. Based on the comb and wattle, and also 'it's' tail feathers. See how they're different then the others. And, extras are almost always roos.

One of our Ameracauna roos didn't start crowing until 17 or 18 weeks. For your sake, I sure hope it's a pullet! Lovely flock, either way.

 

[speckledhen]

Ok, saddle feathers are on the lower back just above the tail area. Hackles are the long neck feathers that drop down to their shoulder/wing top area. Those will become pointy in cockerels. Here's a pic to illustrate, although on my Barred Rock-see the long stringy feathers draping just before the tail area? And the neck feathers, like a cape around his neck?

 

[Black Feather]

Hmmmm....it looks like a pullet to me just from the pics. If you look at the saddle and hackle do you see any roo feathers growing in? I find on the wing shoulder is a great place to look for shinny roo feathers as well.

At first glance I though roo, but then started looking at the rest of the feathers and they look like hen feathers....

Keep us posted, I'd sure like to know for sure!

Urban Coyote

P.S: I once had a bird that was an 'it'. It had stunted, pointy, shinny roo feathers but laid eggs.....go figure!

 

[speckledhen]

U.C., some sure can fool you, can't they? Some are just harder to call than others.

 

[chickiepoo]

Okay, cross your fingers and mutter prayers, but if you can't keep a roo, I would go ahead and be looking for someone to place it with so if he does start crowing, you won't be caught with egg on your face.

 

[khable]

Ok... no pointy feather in either place.... actually no where on him / her are pointy.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.......

 

[speckledhen]

These are my two Buff Orp girls at about 15 weeks old-see why I said cockerel on yours? I still think you have a boy, but I hope you don't. I'll be glad to be wrong. Honestly, I didnt see any pointy hackles in the pics, but that bird looks like an older hen or a young cockerel.