DO I HAVE A ROO? He/she was sold to me as a "pullet" 😏

[ArraAchicksMama]

yes, she is about 14 weeks now.

You're positive it's a "she"?

 

[rosemarythyme]

You're positive it's a "she"?

You doubt us so much...

 

[NatJ]

You're positive it's a "she"?

Can anyone tell me whether I have a rooster or a pullet? 15 weeks old.

Comb & wattles:
I would expect that much comb & wattles on a male around 6 weeks (plus or minus a little bit.)
That much comb & wattles are appropriate for a female that is close to laying age.
An adult hen might have a comb & wattles a little bigger yet.

Sounds/behavior:
At age 15 weeks, a male would probably have been crowing for quite a while. He probably would have started mating with the females some time ago, too.
You have not mentioned any crowing or mating.

Coloring:
Some colors can happen in chickens of either sex (example: solid black). Some colors happen only in one sex, or mostly in one sex.
I would say your bird has a color that mostly happens in females, and is quite rare in males.

Feathering:
Adult roosters are expected to have skinny, pointy feathers growing from their saddle area (on the back just in front of the tail). By age 15 weeks, cockerels usually have those, but your bird does not.

So I think chances are very high that you do have a female. When she starts to lay eggs, please do update us.

(Most of what I just said is sorting or re-stating what other people have said in the course of this thread. But sometimes it helps to lay it all out in one place.)

Of course there are exceptions to many things with chickens.
Some males develop very slowly. A slow-developing male might have the comb & wattles, the behavior, and the absence of saddle feathers that your bird is showing. But hatchery Easter Eggers are generally selected for quick development, not slow. So I think this is quite unlikely.

A few males have a gene called "hen feathering." That means they have the feather shapes and the colors that are normally found in hens. That gene is found in the Sebright breed, but would be very unexpected in an Easter Egger from a hatchery. Again, I do not think this is what your chicken has.

So I am not entirely POSITIVE that you have a pullet, but I am pretty sure about the matter. I do think you should keep that bird a bit longer and see. These things usually become much more clear with time.

 

[ArraAchicksMama]

Comb & wattles:
I would expect that much comb & wattles on a male around 6 weeks (plus or minus a little bit.)
That much comb & wattles are appropriate for a female that is close to laying age.
And adult hen might have a comb & wattles a little bigger yet.

Sounds/behavior:
At age 15 weeks, a male would probably have been crowing for quite a while. He probably would have started mating with the females some time ago, too.
You have not mentioned any crowing or mating.

Coloring:
Some colors can happen in chickens of either sex (example: solid black). Some colors happen only in one sex, or mostly in one sex.
I would say your bird has a color that mostly happens in females, and is quite rare in males.

Feathering:
Adult roosters are expected to have skinny, pointy feathers growing from their saddle area (on the back just in front of the tail). By age 15 weeks, cockerels usually have those, but your bird does not.

So I think chances are very high that you do have a female. When she starts to lay eggs, please do update us.

(Most of what I just said is sorting or re-stating what other people have said in the course of this thread. But sometimes it helps to lay it all out in one place.)

Of course there are exceptions to many things with chickens.
Some males develop very slowly. A slow-developing male might have the comb & wattles, the behavior, and the absence of saddle feathers that your bird is showing. But hatchery Easter Eggers are generally selected for quick development, not slow. So I think this is quite unlikely.

A few males have a gene called "hen feathering." That means they have the feather shapes and the colors that are normally found in hens. That gene is found in the Sebright breed, but would be very unexpected in an Easter Egger from a hatchery. Again, I do not think this is what your chicken has.

So I am not entirely POSITIVE that you have a pullet, but I am pretty sure about the matter. I do think you should keep that bird a bit longer and see. These things usually become much more clear with time.

Thank you I appreciate your education