Bought as hen, but think this 5 month old may be a roo? *MORE PICS

[Pine Grove]

100% bet the farm rooster...

 

[lurky]

Rooster

 

[keljonma]

I would think by 5 months, a cockerel would be starting to crow.

Your bird looks a bit like our Jersey Black Giant pullet when she was 5 months old. She didn't lay her first egg until she was 5 months old.

The Jersey Black Giant's black plumage has a beautiful green sheen, the eyes are dark brown, shanks and toes are black except for yellow skin showing on the bottoms of the feet.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
THATS A HEN

 

[rufus]

Head looks to be a hen's. The legs look too thin for a rooster. Not much in the way of spurs. However, there seems to be rooster feathers on her. Still, I say hen!

Rufus

 

[Mac Momma]

Quote:
Yes, she/he/it has yellow on the bottoms of feet and eyes are dark brown. She has grown much faster than her counter part that I bought with her, as the other is a RIR cross. My roo that is loud and crowing now doesn't seem to be convincing this one to crow, so maybe my big roo will convince an egg out and then I'll know for sure she's a she!

I have been waiting for a few weeks and no egg......all good things come to....oh how does that saying go?

 

[hinkjc]

Looks like a slow maturing roo to me.

Jody

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Are the hackle feathers rounded or pointy on the ends? For a lot of chickens, rounded means hen and pointy means rooster.

 

[MaransGuy]

If you could post some closer photos of the bird it would help out a lot. The main thing that says rooster is the tail. Hens simply do not have the sickle feathers (long-curvy ones) that your bird has. Their tail feathers are fairly straight out. irridescence can be in either sex, although it is typically more pronounced. Hackle feathers are another rooster attribute but it is too difficult to tell from your photo what your bird has for sure. Lack of crowing does not necessarily mean anything. Right now, I have two four month old marans cockerels in my flock that includes two dominant roosters. Neither one has made a peep. Their brother, who is in a seperate building by himself, has been making those awful moans (preludes to a crow) for almost two weeks now. Sometimes, the presence of a dominant rooster will keep the young ones quiet until they are really ready to try and hold their own. Your bird also appears to have a pea comb and looks to be an Easter Egger cross to me. The shape of the body also says rooster. It is too elongated for a hen. If you could get a couple more photos that show the head and neck as well as the saddle area (right in front of the tail on the back) it would be much easier.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Carolyn]

I have an almost 5 month old black astrolorp hen. Yours looks a lot like her. The wattle and comb are small and have recently turned red. My rocks that age have been laying a wk but she hasn't started.

Mine has always acted like a lady bird and is very quiet and non aggressive except for being the first to check out any new bug in the run.

Her tail really doesn't look like yours though. I think some females have tails that look a bit like that (orps???). If she is a cross that might be an explaination.
I have dealt with 15 roosters out of 22 chicks this summer and everyone had more wattle and comb than yours long before 5 months.