Am I a Hen or Rooster?

[thedomesticdiva]

#1

#2

#3

#4

Thanks in advance for any help I get sexing these! I can't seem to get a unified answer from anyone, so I am hoping that there are some with lots of experience to help us out before we end up butchering what would have been a good layer, thinking it was a roost.

 

[bantambury]

i want to say all hens but the green shine on some tails are throwing me off. how old are they?

 

[thedomesticdiva]

See, that iridescent color is what is getting me too! I can't tell with this breed and it's driving me crazy!

We inherited them from a 5th grade class earlier this year, so I am guessing they are about 3 months old.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

They all have pointed saddle feathers so there is no chance any of them are pullets

 

[bantambury]

See, that iridescent color is what is getting me too! I can't tell with this breed and it's driving me crazy!

We inherited them from a 5th grade class earlier this year, so I am guessing they are about 3 months old.

ok so about the same age as one of my girls i got from a school in march as a chick. she is a EE and is QUITE iridescent. id say wait till they are about 5 months to tell. i find it easier to tell once i see the saddle feathers come in.

make sure you check the backs of their tails for any feathers that a re growing in pointed and pretty. those will be roos. hens will have a more rounded saddle feather.


this is my 3 month old bantam roo. as you can see the saddle feathers are pointed, unlike a hens.

hope this helps!

 

[bantambury]

They all have pointed saddle feathers so there is no chance any of them are pullets

number 2 you can see the white saddle feathers coming in so that may be a roo. 4 has duller and rounded feathers....id say maybe hen. the other 2 are draws.

maybe once she checks for the saddle feathers she would be able to tell for sure

 

[bantambury]

roo at 2 months


hen at 2 months.



maybe these could help you out too?

 

[junebuggena]

All four are cockerels. The male saddle feathers are just starting to come in on the backs. I'd guess they are about 12 weeks old. Pullets wouldn't start turning red in the combs for another few weeks.

 

[bantambury]

All four are cockerels. The male saddle feathers are just starting to come in on the backs. I'd guess they are about 12 weeks old. Pullets wouldn't start turning red in the combs for another few weeks.

x2
good point! i was also thinking maybe bigger combs at this point too

 

[thedomesticdiva]

Dang! Okay, thank you for all of the help, everyone! I can't believe I ended up with all roosters, how crazy

So the next question is... at what age is best for butchering these guys?