Black Sex Link or Australorp? Pullet or Roo???

[NSObillybobjoe]

Billy Bob Joe was born on 5/3/13 and turned 11 weeks yesterday 7/19/13. We originally thought she was a black sex link roo when she was born until reading that it would look very different than she does. So then we just assumed she was a black sex link pullet. But I'm not entirely sure if she/he is a black sex link, or an australorp. Any ideas on breed and gender?

Please excuse her feathers... she's been through a lot, but thankfully they're finally growing back! We tried to hatch chicks in my husband's 5th grade class and three hatched (They named her haha). The eggs were from my husband's family farm. A month or so later, a predator snatched two of them but she was fine. After that, she accidentally got in with the big chickens and a mean rooster attacked her and she almost didn't make it. We had to take her to the vet 45 minutes away and they had to put her to sleep and give her stitches up and down her neck and give her and give her antibiotics for a week. After that, she was depressed so we bought her two more pullets her age. We found them laying on the ground on the 4th of July without a scratch on them. She was inside an insulated black bucket that was turned over and was a-okay, just scared. A storm had rolled through earlier in the day so we thought they either had a disease or got struck by lightening. She/he has been through a LOT! So now instead of being on the farm where we're from an hour away, she lives in the suburbs in our back yard. We built her a nice spacious coop out of a free pallet and some hardware wire. She seems happy!








5 Days Old! =)

 

[chickenfever417]

looks like Roo to me. (maybe Austrolorp). Seems to be awfully red in the comb and woddles to me at this age to be a pullet

I have limited experience and a small back yard coop. Just a guess

 

[NSObillybobjoe]

Thanks for responding! Really? That's true... they are definitely red all of a sudden. I didn't know about the tail feathers though. I think I read somewhere that lady tail feathers go up like that... but I reckon rooster feathers waterfall so I have no idea.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Ya, that's a lot of red for an 11 week BSL pullet, think you have a roo there. Looks pretty much like a BA to me also, skin looks white and I don't see any red feathers coming in. Sounds like that is one chicken that has nine lives.

 

[CharlotteChicks]

Not sure of the gender, but if the bottom of the feet have yellow on them she/he is a Jersey Giant. I have a JG hen and she looked like your chicks. Here is a picture of her at 19 weeks. They're very sweet.

!

 

[CharlotteChicks]

If your's is a Jersey Giant, I think it's a pullet. Here is a picture of my Jersey Giant rooster at the age of 12 weeks for your comparison. He started crowing at 12 weeks, so I had to give him up.

 

[NSObillybobjoe]

Thanks for yall's ideas!

Here is a picture of her feet... they are definitely yellowISH in color... should they be more yellow to be a JG?

 

[CharlotteChicks]

Yup, that's a Jersey Giant!

 

[donrae]

Sounds to me like you quite possibly have a mixed breed rooster. At 11 weeks that is absolutely a male, sorry. That much comb at that age is male. Could be Australorp, but if the eggs "just came from a farm", chances are it's mixed. You might want to see about rehoming him before your neighbors get unhappy.

 

[CowGrrrl]

Australorp rooster.