At what age

[Maggies Pop]

can you tell if you have a rooster or a hen?

We are new to chickens

Our 6 sweeties turned 4 weeks old yesterday. We have 2 RIR, 2 Barred Rocks and 2 Americauna. They are all roughly the same size except for one of the Americauna. I know its too early to tell at this point, but about when should be able to tell? This chicken is much larger, the feathers are looking different, just everything about this chicken is different from all the others, including the other Americauna. We are backyard chicken owners. We have lovely neighbors who are excited about the new babies. But we also belong to a HOA who would not be so happy about the birds. LOL

Thanks!

Bobbi

 

[easttxchick]

First,

.

Second, if you have pictures you could post it might help.

I don't have any Americaunas, but I could tell really early with my WLH and SLW roosters.

 

[Maggies Pop]

I will have to get a recent pic in the morning. They sleep in my master bathroom right now while my husband is building our coop. If I turn the light on they will party the rest of the night! LOL

Thanks for the welcome!!

 

[easttxchick]

I understand, I am now creeping down the hall outside my laundry room because my 8 day old babies FINALLY went to sleep and stopped slam dancing in their mosh pit brooder box-little fuzzy precious maniacs!

Gotta love 'em.

Looking forward to seeing pics of your babies for possible rooster/hen ID.

 

[Stephanie-n-Hayden]

I had no idea either when we got our first 6 chicks only days old from TSC last spring. But, interesting enough, at about 4 weeks old, one of my chicks started stretching his neck out, opening his mouth up real wide, but not a peep came out. It looked like he was choking or something. That was his very first attempts at growing! So, he was the roo with 5 hens. Not quite. Turns out, when they were about 4 months old, three of my other hens started acting very agressive and territorial. Turns out, they started crowing too! Oops.

Meaning of all this is, it just depends on the breed and the bird. Sometimes you can tell at a fairly young age and sometimes you can't. I currently have a RIR hen who acts just like a rooster. Sometimes I have to wonder... Naw - she never crows and she lays eggs. Roosters can't lay eggs - right????

 

[Maggies Pop]

Quote:
I can totally see something like this with us. LOL My husband and I always laugh that no matter which animal we pick out of a crowd its the one with "issues". Never fails!
Here is the chick in question:

ELLEN DEHENERES

ELLEN DEHENERES

and then here is the other Americauna, MERYL PEEP. I wish I could have gotten a picture of them next to each other:

I realise that "no two are alike" but they sure are different! I don't think you can tell in the pictures, but Ellen is considerably bigger than all the other chicks.

 

[M To The Maxx]

Those are not Ameraucanas. They are Easter Eggers. They look like hens though.

 

[chicksrcool]

Did you get them straight run? I bought mine from the feed store and wondered myself if we might get a rooster by mistake. So far so good I believe!

 

[Maggies Pop]

Quote:
I have no idea the difference

I am very new to chickens. Got them from the feed store, was told they were A's. I know that they are very similar though, right? I will have to read up on EE's. Thanks!
I hope its a hen. Im already attached. LOL

 

[Maggies Pop]

Quote:
Not sure what straight run is. We got them from our local feed store. They said we may get a rooster in the mix. So we knew it was possible.