Can anyone give me their opinion about the sex of my 14wk old Barred Plymouth Rocks, please?

[ChickyChooky]

Hi, everyone!

I live in the Adelaide suburbs of South Australia, and, unfortunately, can't keep any Roosters.

Silly me! I posted this in the wrong section as I couldn't work out at first (on the 18th) how to post a thread! Sheesh!

I'm completely confused by what's out there as a guideline for sexing Barred Plymouth Rocks. According to their headspots when they were younger, I thought that I may have two Hens and 3 Roos. According to the colour, I've got one Hen and 4 Roos. Only Zora/Zoran (the darkest one) has the really dark wash down her legs but her tail feathers have been very pronounced since I first got them, plus they look pointed to me. Most of the others have a slight wash down their legs. Zora also has a very small and light coloured comb. There is one lighter coloured PBR who developed a very strong red comb and wattle (Ziggy) more so than the others. I think he's definitely a Roo. According to my research, having a dark one doesn't necessarily mean that it's 100% that it's a hen, nor does it mean that the lighter ones are definitely all male. So, yes. I'm a little confused but, maybe, someone out there with more experience may have a better idea. I hope I've got, at least, one female!


I've included a couple of shots of when I first got them to show their head spots, in case it is of some help.

Thanks in advance!
"Scratching" my head,
ChickyChooky ☺

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Uh-oh I'm seeing a LOT of boys


Edit: I *think* you only have 1 girl...sorry

 

[chippysmom327]

I'd say the one is a rooster, and the rest are hens. You may want to wait a little longer though to tell.

Edit: Yeah maybe... I'm kinda new to this so I'm still learning.

 

[ramirezframing]

the dark colored one is a hen the rest are boys

 

[hdowden]

you have 4 cockerels and 1 pullet indeed

 

[ChickyChooky]

Oh, my God! You guys are so great for responding so quickly! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Roosters Crow, Hens Deliver!; ChippysMom327; RamirezFraming; and hdowden for all your input! It's all been a real help. I really appreciate it.

Yep. I thought that might be the case. Well, at least, I've got one hen! I purchased the lot on the cheap. AUD$30 for 5 BPR chicks! They tried to tell me they were 6 wks old at the time, but I could see they were much younger even with my beginner's experience. A Fodder Store owner agreed, and said they were about 3-4wks old. Fair enough. The previous owners reduced their price because they said a) they wanted to get rid of them all (no wonder!) and b) because they wanted Bantams, so they said. I decided to take the chance at $6AUD each, plus my heart went out to them as they were so scared of humans, they wouldn't stay still enough to be able to have a good look at them. Now, they come running when they see me. They feed from my hands, and, finally, yesterday, they started jumping into my lap to get their morning treats. Zora and the smallest BPR, Minnie, have been doing that from very early in the piece, but the rest have all been very skittish since I got them. The BPRs are still not too keen on being stroked. When they're on top of the Mini-run Coop, they seem more relaxed about allowing me to stroke them but, only if I'm giving them treats. Probably because we are all at eye level. They LOVE their morning cheese treats as do all the other hens. They don't get any treats unless they allow me to get in a stroke first. If I get in a stroke, and he or she starts to dash away, I remove the stroking hand, and offer an open treat. I've been doing that from the beginning. I sit on my stool, hold out the treats, but have the other hand hovering close and, always, between them and the treat. Most of the other breeds I have, I can stroke whilst I'm feeding them. Most of them I can pick up and cuddle with no problems now. I, also, make sure they all get a couple of strokes every night before I lock them in. The BPRs know it's coming but they're still a little edgy about it, but, we're getting there! I used to hold them and hand feed their treats individually like I, originally, did with the other breeds, but they just seemed to get really stressed out, so I decided to be more patient with them.

Anyway, I'll start with the other breeder family that I purchased all the other chickens from, and see if they are interested in the three of the five BPRs. They're absolutely lovely people! The other breeder, I did get a really uncomfortable feeling about. Something strange was going on but I couldn't put my finger on it. I was more concerned about the possibility of them being unhealthy. Fortunately, they were ok. I might see if I can work out a way to keep one BPR Rooster, even if it means bringing him in the house at night. I suppose it will depend on how the neighbours react. Most of them are ok about my having hens, but I have one neighbour who might be a problem. Some blocks away, I know of people who have not only hens, but also a rooster, and they've had them for ages! So, it must all depend on how the neighbours feel about it and whether they complain or not.

Anyway, thanks again to all of you, for your input. I really do appreciate it. Even just this one thing has made it all worthwhile joining Backyard Chickens. Incredible, isn't it! That one can get advice from across the World, within half an hour of posting a thread, even less! Actually, I should say within 10 minutes! Isn't technology great!

I feel better about what direction to take now re these BPRs. Thanks, everyone!

Have a great year! (Oh! This doesn't mean that I won't be coming back! I will! Time and time again! Lol!)

ChickyChooky