Cockerel or pullet?

[FernHill]

8 weeks old, production red, curious about the darker of the birds in the photos

 

[Clemmy]

not good at gender specification, but from my looks, a pullet.

 

[Lifeiseasy]

Do you have any pictures from when they were teeny tiny chicks? I have six production reds and my rooster should’ve been kinda obvious from the start, he was always a little different.

 

[FernHill]

Do you have any pictures from when they were teeny tiny chicks? I have six production reds and my rooster should’ve been kinda obvious from the start, he was always a little different.

Always darker feathers and dark beak. The one in back here at 3 weeks.

 

[Lifeiseasy]

Was the down on the chicken noticeably lighter than the others? Because in one picture of yours it looks like there’s pointed hackle feathers coming out, but then in the next picture it looks like a pullet. So unless it was noticeably different as a tiny down covered fuzz ball, my guess is that it’s a fast developing pullet.

 

[youngchickengal]

how do you guys know!!!! i hatched my own chickens so i have know clue who the parents are.. anything i should look for.

 

[Lifeiseasy]

how do you guys know!!!! i hatched my own chickens so i have know clue who the parents are.. anything i should look for.

Depending on the possible breeds, some can be told at a really young age. Mostly though, you have to wait until they’re older and watch feather and comb development. A bright red large comb at a young age is typically a cockerel and you can also tell because cockerels are normally slower in feather development and have narrow pointed tail, hackle (neck) and saddle (back) feathers. Hens have fast initial feather development, slow combs that don’t redden until they’re about to lay, and overall rounded feathers. Some breeds you can tell by color at hatch (sex links and sometimes production reds I believe), new wing feathers at a day or so old (BOs), or how they stand (BOs)

Note: A lot of the above breed examples are just from what I’ve experienced and there are many more breeds that fall into those categories I just don’t know them all off the top of my head. Also, nothing is 100% except telling with time. These are just clues you can look for.

 

[FernHill]

I’d guess just a faster maturing pullet, but that bird is so much different than the rest we keep wondering if it might be a cockerel.
We will find out eventually

 

[FernHill]

Update at 9 weeks. This production red is the one we think might be male.

 

[youngchickengal]

thank you! i do not know he breed 100 percent. because i hatched them from my friends who have many different breeds. so i will wait and see who is who! almost 5 weeks old.