Blue leghorn.. still hoping its a hen!

[CrazyCochin]

@RoostersAreAwesome, we have a rescue chicken who looked like a hen but turned out to be a rooster and My sister raises roosters so we have had plenty of experience with them.

 

[Gray Farms]

Those two are both pullets. 16-17 week old cockerels would be showing saddle feathers at this age.

"Shinny" feathers have nothing to do with sex.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I agree with @RoostersAreAwesome and @Gray Farms I believe both are pullets

 

[EggSighted4Life]

the tail has mostly rounded ends.. But I noticed a couple sharp ends today after taking the pic

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Saddle feathers are usually a bit easier to discern than hackles... to me, even after raising hundreds of cockerels. See the huge difference..

This being true for most but not all breeds... Seabrights and a few others have hen feathered males.

Usually double wide white barring means cockerel... but that one appears female as far as I can tell. Yes... hens can get shiny feathers... not USUALLY red shiny shoulder feathers. They can also crow and grow spurs and I've even seen one layer mount another out of dominance! So please don't believe everything your read or hear.

I'm also not seeing any cockerels.

I personally suggest cancelling your upcoming order, enjoying the birds you have now this year, see how winter goes when crowding can be especially challenging... and order your others next spring so they will mature to lay just in time for your then older ladies to have their molt... which they do NOT lay eggs during. Also, adding your general location to your profile can help folks make the best suggestions possible at a glance.

 

[ThunderHillChick]

Great news !! Thanks for the reply @LothalRebel View attachment 2017519View attachment 2017521i was getting anxious that i had 4 roos. May i ask about this one too..

Ps: I originally planned to keep 5 hens. In now have 12. And have 4 on order waiting for them to be big enough. I think I'm.sort of being obsessive lol

welcome to the BYC which should be named chicken collectors anonymous...


I have 10 hens, 2 roo’s, 3 chicks, 14 eggs in the incubator... and 50 hens on order..some of which are those glorious blue leghorns I can’t Wait to get them they are Beautiful!
Your blue leghorn hen, reminds me of my Ancona hen she just didn’t mature the same rate as my others. Then overnight she’s got a comb and laid two eggs. I have a black sexlink that I thought was a Roo because her comb and wattles are gigantic..

 

[EggSighted4Life]

@RoostersAreAwesome, we have a rescue chicken who looked like a hen but turned out to be a rooster and My sister raises roosters so we have had plenty of experience with them.

I've personally raised hundreds of cockerels in dozens of breeds... it is okay for us to have differing opinions based on our experiences...

The fact that you are focused on shiny feathers on the hackle shows a lack of understanding IMO. One persons' experience does not necessarily equal another persons knowledge.

But we are all friends here... learning I don't have to call out everyone I disagree with and humbly stating my sentiment is adequate enough for MOST to use their own discernment. We are all friends here and here to support, share with and learn from each other... including one of my very favorite games... "guess the breed/gender"... Yes, I have been mistaken in the past... and that's okay... Even had some really late bloomers throw me for a loop.

FWIW.. some breed Standard of Perfection specifically call for iridescence in the feathers where as other SOP's might make it a fault.

Glad to see you are eager to help folks out and be a wonderful contributing member of this online community.

Please remember that there is ALWAYS someone who knows more than you think you do.. and leave the cockiness to the roosters. Believe me, I disagree with LOTS of things posted by @RoostersAreAwesome, but respect that he also DOES have lot's of fantastic and valid information! (and agree with the assessment this time)

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

@RoostersAreAwesome, we have a rescue chicken who looked like a hen but turned out to be a rooster and My sister raises roosters so we have had plenty of experience with them.

I also have raised many roosters myself- I even used to have a rooster-only flock. However, I've been wrong before and I'm not afraid to admit that. In this situation, due to the lack of pointed male-specific feathers and small comb size at their age, it's a reasonable assumption that these are pullets.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

@EggSighted4Life very well said. I do hope that we don't disagree too much. Also, for future reference, I am a female.

 

[CrazyCochin]

I very much apologize if my post sounded cocky.
Again I apologize. I know there are people who know more about chickens more than me and I respect that.

 

[ChasesChickens]

Those two are both pullets. 16-17 week old cockerels would be showing saddle feathers at this age.

"Shinny" feathers have nothing to do with sex.

I'm learning so much just from this threat. Thank you!