Barred Rocks and Comb size

[ziggy]

I could not find a 13 week picture, but here is our Barred Rock hen at 11 weeks (top pic) and 15 weeks. She has a pretty big comb now at 1 year and was the first to lay at just under 5 months. She had a little pink in her face, but the comb itself was not getting pink and bigger until around 4 months.

 

[ChooksChick]

I had a few questions on mine- all turned out to be pullets. Here are pics of that age- a few more weeks and they got really red combs and wattles suddenly and then were laying!

 

[walkswithdog]

Aw she looks like my Tinker now... I love barred rocks...

 

[NJ Mike]

It's possible that the two who are starting to "pink up" are still girls, just getting ready to lay!

Are they hatchery BRs? Or heritage BRs from a reputable breeder? The hatchery BRs will start to lay earlier than the heritage BRs because they've been bred for production over type.

I can't give you a definitive answer without pictures, but there is still a good chance that they are female.

How pink are the combs? Bright red, or dark pink? Or still a lighter pink?

You can also look at the saddle feathers, and see if any are starting to curve downwards. Here's a pic of my BR roo at about 15 weeks. Note the bright red comb and the curved saddle feathers.