Convince my family this is a cockerel!

[The Happster]

Cockerel, IMO.
My Wyandotte cockerel looked about the same. Maybe had less wattle.
He does look like a SLW, but probably hatchery quality. Face definitely looks like one. Can see a bit of white on the wings.
First time with Wyandottes, and I'm loving it. Can't wait for my two cockerels to start crowing and join the racket with the older lads.

 

[CindyinSD]

At this stage you can't know it's male or female unless you know how to vent sex. The hatcheries are pretty good at sexing them. Tractor Supply is famous for miss-sexing chicks (or mixing them up in the bins). Unless you got them there, I'd lean toward the sex being accurate. They do occasionally get it wrong but I've never had it happen yet.

 

[R2elk]

Silver lacing on the wings, plus another thread said Wyandotte, single is a genetic mutation now in Wyandottes, happens at the hatchery I guess.

Single comb is not a mutation in Wyandottes. Many Wyandottes are heterozygous for rose comb and single comb due to problems with homozygous rose comb and fertility.

 

[Chickenhappy8708]

At this stage you can't know it's male or female unless you know how to vent sex. The hatcheries are pretty good at sexing them. Tractor Supply is famous for miss-sexing chicks (or mixing them up in the bins). Unless you got them there, I'd lean toward the sex being accurate. They do occasionally get it wrong but I've never had it happen yet.

I did get them there lol!

 

[CindyinSD]

I did get them there lol!

Well then the jury's gonna be out for a couple more weeks.

As R2 said (and I learned this from him), rose-comb breeds can have trouble with fertility, so ever so often, hatcheries will mix in a single-comb bird. The single comb is recessive, therefore while it can pop up now and then, it's usually masked by the dominant rose comb trait.

You can give away your extra roo if you don't want to eat him. Don't ask questions, though. People usually raise chickens for food. If that was not the case, chickens wouldn't have become such a very successful species.

 

[Chickenhappy8708]

I agree, mine are all raised as pets, no freezer for him, I want to make it work, Amber is so close to those two, so getting 3 pullets could be very helpful, even if the Brahma is the only cockerel, and if put them all in chicken saddles, see how it works, worst comes to worst, I can always convince my family to help me build a batchlor pad, the Wyandotte is the friend list cockerel/pullet I've ever had, so he would have sweet offspring I think☺

 

[CindyinSD]

What breed is your pullet?

 

[The Happster]

Amber is so close to those two, so getting 3 pullets could be very helpful, even if the Brahma is the only cockerel

All good excuses to buy more chickens.
I'm starting to think you want him to be male so you can get more girls.

 

[CindyinSD]

I'm a bit concerned for the ladies here... Brahmas are a very large breed. I had 2 breeding roos and around 25 hens plus several mamas brooding eggs/chicks, also another 5 cockerels not quite ready to start crowing. My poor hens looked (and still look) like someone plucked their backs and the backs of their heads. Both the active males were aggressive toward humans. I processed all of them. My girls needed a break and there are little boys coming up so it's not like I'll be in danger of having no fertile eggs.

As for a bachelor coop, I guess that would be okay if the SLW turns out to be male—the boys could live there together and not be lonesome. You probably ought to keep them separate from the girls unless & until you want chicks. No way would I turn a breeding-age Brahma cockerel out with only two pullets & one of them blind. Clearly they will overbreed a female. Mine free-range over 12.5 acres every day they choose to and I still have females who have gotten way too much attention from the boys.

 

[Fishfam6]

I used this with most of my chickens. It’s been pretty helpful. I’m not saying it’s 100% for all breeds but it worked for mine