Black Australorop-- is this a rooster?

[Chris09]

The bird in the first picture looks like a little cockerel, also those birds don't look to be Ausralorps. Way to lanky/gamey, they might have Ausralorp in them but there is something else in the mix, maybe Leghorn.

ETA-
Look at the length of the Tail Sickle, IF it was a hen it would not have one that long at that age.

 

[Michael OShay]

The bird in the first picture looks like a little cockerel, also those birds don't look to be Ausralorps. Way to lanky/gamey, they might have Ausralorp in them but there is something else in the mix, maybe Leghorn.

One way to determine for sure if they are pure Australorps is to look at the bottoms of their feet. If the bottoms of their feet are white, then they are Australorps. If not, then you have some other breed mixed in.

 

[Chris09]

One way to determine for sure if they are pure Australorps is to look at the bottoms of their feet. If the bottoms of their feet are white, then they are Australorps. If not, then you have some other breed mixed in.

Not necessarily, Depends a lot on the cross, how far back the cross was made, was both parent stock pure for breed and skin color.
Minorcas have white skin and I believe white on the bottom of there feet, that bird could have Minorca in him, he would still have white on the bottom of the feet and it could give him that lanky body type.

 

[Michael OShay]

Not necessarily, Depends a lot on the cross, how far back the cross was made, was both parent stock pure for breed and skin color.
Minorcas have white skin and I believe white on the bottom of there feet, that bird could have Minorca in him, he would still have white on the bottom of the feet and it could give him that lanky body type.

Australorps crossed with Minorcas (or other Mediterranean breeds) almost inevitably have white (or very light) earlobes. The earlobes on these birds are red, not white.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

I was leaning a little toward roo when I asked about the age of the one in question, but if donrae says it's a boy, I wouldn't be afraid to bet it's a boy. No one is inerrant and infallible, but when it comes to evaluating a young chicken's gender, donrae's accuracy percentage is probably as good or better than any other BYC member.

X1000 ^

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

The bird in the first picture looks like a little cockerel, also those birds don't look to be Ausralorps. Way to lanky/gamey, they might have Ausralorp in them but there is something else in the mix, maybe Leghorn.

Hmm I had a batch of black Australorps, 6 males, (raising for someone else) that we received from a hatchery and they looked very much like this at this age. Which was another reason I though maybe the bird int eh background was older, that one is a much fuller bird. The Australorps I had were some of the most awkward looking young roos I've seen, they seemed to stay ganglely too, I had them until 15 weeks.
Could it just be poor hatchery stock? I know that RIR hatchery stock are a WORLD away from the breeder quality!

 

[karlyjordan86]

Here are my 2 black australorps, 15 weeks old. They are BOTH Roos. Both crowing up a storm. Neither one looks as well developed as your 11 week old, Buck. I would bet the chicken in question is a roo too. Look at mine. Each chicken develops at his or her own speed.

 

[Michael OShay]

Hmm I had a batch of black Australorps, 6 males, (raising for someone else) that we received from a hatchery and they looked very much like this at this age. Which was another reason I though maybe the bird int eh background was older, that one is a much fuller bird. The Australorps I had were some of the most awkward looking young roos I've seen, they seemed to stay ganglely too, I had them until 15 weeks.
Could it just be poor hatchery stock? I know that RIR hatchery stock are a WORLD away from the breeder quality!

If they are indeed Black Australorps, they are unquestionably poor hatchery stock (as is often the case with large hatchery breeds), although that likely won't affect their temperaments or keep them from being excellent layers.

 

[DontPanic]

I'm told that my hen is probably a Black Australorp mix. It's good to hear everyone say that they have a good disposition so maybe the chicks will not be as nutty as their mom (was wild free ranging). She is a very good mom though, very devoted to her chicks.

BTW - My two cents worth, your chicken looks to be a rooster. Just young and still filling in. It's the comb that makes me think it's a young roo.

 

[OwlandBear]

Since I bought them at Tractor Supply, and had a huge problem with the Buff Orpingtons I bought at the same time (5 turned out to be Red Sex Links

) I wouldn't be surprised if these weren't a good mix. That said, however, if they give good eggs and are fairly docile, I'll be happy.

Jeez, please don't let me have 3 roos! I lost one of the birds a couple of months ago, and was pretty sure that one was a male. The boys may need to spend some time boosting their flock if they want to go into the egg business, huh?

Ok, so the new question becomes, can roosters all live together in perfect harmony (if housed away from the hens) or would they need separate apartments??