Ameraucana and Rocks -- Gender? Help!

[b00ph3tt3]

We got our chicks about 4 weeks ago, and they were all supposed to be pullets. But we are first timers and don't have a lot of experience with this and are trying to see if there are any signs showing if they are pullets or roosters.

Both of our Ameraucanas look like this:



The comb is still all yellow, but has this single row of vertical bumps that is pretty obvious. One of the Ameraucanas is much more friendly than the other, who is quite shy and prefers to be in a corner than be handled.

The largest chick, a partridge Plymouth Rock has a little bit of pink at the top of the beak, which I read could be a sign of a rooster:




The fourth chick, a buff Rock, is the one my husband thinks is the most "rooster" like because of the tail, but has nothing going on in the comb region:


Sorry if the pictures aren't the best quality- my cell phone camera is very slow, and the chicks don't really hold too still. We would appreciate any one else's thoughts and experience as we have absolutely none yet! Thanks!!!

 

[kazoo1111]

They all look like girls

 

[b00ph3tt3]

Thanks, that's what I thought too. But my husband and then my mother (who has even less chicken experience than me!) were looking at pictures of them today and were saying they looked like they might be roos, so I doubted myself.

 

[donrae]

First of all, you have your breeds backwards

. the black and white barred birds are barred Plymouth rocks. Plymouth rock or just rock is the breed, barred is the color where each feather has bars of black and white. The first bird kind of tweaks my rooster radar due to the overall light color, however at 4 weeks I'd expect to see more comb in a rooster. So I'm thinking hen for now, maybe post again in 4 weeks when it's full feathered? The second barred bird is a girl.

The next two birds are your ameraucanas, since they're non-standard colors they're referred to as Easter egger chickens. The first one has green legs and looks to have a little beard/muffs around her face, and see how her comb is flatter than the barred birds? It's called a pea comb and is linked to laying green or blue eggs. So, good chances of colored eggs from her!

I can't see the fourth chick well but it looks to have green legs as well, and the color is common for Easter eggers. They're very alert, upright birds and the females carry their tales high, so that may be what your honey is seeing. However, the color is just enough for me to think a small possibility of a roo, and it'd be great to see pics of this bird also in 3-4 weeks. Maybe a good head shot, also.

Welcome to the addictive world of chickens! And

 

[b00ph3tt3]

First of all, you have your breeds backwards

. the black and white barred birds are barred Plymouth rocks. Plymouth rock or just rock is the breed, barred is the color where each feather has bars of black and white. The first bird kind of tweaks my rooster radar due to the overall light color, however at 4 weeks I'd expect to see more comb in a rooster. So I'm thinking hen for now, maybe post again in 4 weeks when it's full feathered? The second barred bird is a girl.

The next two birds are your ameraucanas, since they're non-standard colors they're referred to as Easter egger chickens. The first one has green legs and looks to have a little beard/muffs around her face, and see how her comb is flatter than the barred birds? It's called a pea comb and is linked to laying green or blue eggs. So, good chances of colored eggs from her!

I can't see the fourth chick well but it looks to have green legs as well, and the color is common for Easter eggers. They're very alert, upright birds and the females carry their tales high, so that may be what your honey is seeing. However, the color is just enough for me to think a small possibility of a roo, and it'd be great to see pics of this bird also in 3-4 weeks. Maybe a good head shot, also.

Welcome to the addictive world of chickens! And

Hmm... Well, we originally wanted two barred rocks and two ameraucanas, but when we went to pick up the chicks, the guy said he was pretty sure he didn't have any more barred rocks. Since the two dark girls looked so similar and the other two so different as chicks (the guy said he would get us a buff and a partridge rock to make up for not having two barreds!), we just figured that the two small dark girls were the ameraucanas.

Oops. Don't I feel clever!

Here are the chicks when we first got them at a few days old.

Here's the last one, who we are calling "Fliza Minnelli" for now, with a better face picture.



This one is super flighty and I'm still working on getting it to to come to me, so the pictures were a little more difficult to get!

 

[b00ph3tt3]

Anyone else have input on these chicks?

 

[my sunwolf]

donrae is right, breeds are swapped! So far all look like pullets to me, though.

 

[b00ph3tt3]

donrae is right, breeds are swapped! So far all look like pullets to me, though.

After doing some research on Barred Rock chicks, I think you and Donrae are correct! There are so many differences in Ameraucanas and I am such a newbie, I couldn't tell. Thanks for your input!!!

 

[b00ph3tt3]

Just an update.

The chickens are all about 23 weeks old. Both the Barred Rocks haven't started to lay yet, but I am hopeful they will soon. "Emily" is looking really close to it. Her comb and wattles look a much deeper red in person; I think they look a little washed out on the computer. I have heard that some girls can have bigger combs??



One of our "Ameracaunas"/Easter Eggers HAS started to lay (very infrequently since week 21) some lovely light green eggs.



Since we have only had a handful of eggs in the last 3 weeks (and at random times of the day!) I can't say for sure who did it. But neither of them look particularly roosterish, and are very quiet overall, so I think they are both ladies, too?

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I agree. You have the two breeds switched around. And you dont have any ameraucanas, you have barred rocks and easter eggers