Cockerel?

elight23

Chirping
17 Years
May 2, 2008
41
6
87
Bellevue, WA
I think I already know the answer to this but am in denial because I was sure this was a pullet up to this point. This is a barnyard mix chicken. She hatched around mid-February, putting her at around 11 weeks. She was the one I was sure was a hen, smaller, docile, nothing gave her away until very recently when I noticed some odd feathers appearing and her legs started looking thicker. - Any chance at all she is a she?
 

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Based on the photos, most signs seem to point to being a pullet: saddle feathers are round, short, and wide; wattles are small, not that red; no sickle feathers in tail, but maybe it's too soon. I see what you mean by those suspicious pointy saddle feathers starting to coming out. Cool that she has five toes! Keep us posted with more pics in the upcoming week(s), and maybe wait for some other responders.
 
OK, here is an update. I felt better after the post by fivetoed, but today, when I took new pics, her feathers look to me like a cockerel, even though her face still looks female.

The brown bird's face looks like the white bird also pictured, but more male-looking feathers have appeared IMO, and the tail is filling out. She also has really pretty iridescent and shiny feathers. Again, she's a barnyard mix and looks like she has genes from all over the place.
She is now about 13-14 weeks.
 

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I think I already know the answer to this but am in denial because I was sure this was a pullet up to this point. This is a barnyard mix chicken. She hatched around mid-February, putting her at around 11 weeks. She was the one I was sure was a hen, smaller, docile, nothing gave her away until very recently when I noticed some odd feathers appearing and her legs started looking thicker. - Any chance at all she is a she?
Here are some of the pics from three weeks ago.
 

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Is this bird crowing? At this age most cockerels will make a racket unless a much more dominant male is in the flock. At 15 weeks a male usually has a much reder comb. Some pullets will start to get more color by this time. Hens can get irridesant feathers, though not usually as many as your bird. I would take a good look at the feathers in front of the tail (saddles). Pullet feathers are rounded in the saddles. Between 12-16 weeks males will get pointed saddle feathers.
My guess is this is a male, but I wouldn't make supper with it yet (unless it is crowing)
 

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