Do Roos & Pullets tend to separate ??? (with pics)

[tparsons99]

I have a 3 sexed Welsummers(Pullets) and 4 Black Copper Marans. They are all about 6 weeks old.

I am trying to figure out if the Marans are Pullets or Roos. 1 of the 4 BCM's hangs with the 3 Welsummers all the time. The other 3 BCMS always stay apart from them. The 3 BCM's are a bit larger than the 4th. Their combs and wattles are slightly larger than the 4th as well.

Would you tend to beleive then that they are Roos ???

The Three:

The single:

Thanks !!

 

[james w]

At that age roos tend to have a less even plumage around the body and more prounounced plumage on the tail. I tend to use this plus the combs and wattles to sex.

The three in the photo look like roos to me. Of the three in the photo, the one at the back also has less well developed plumage on the neck. This is also a good sign that it is a roo.

The fourth is difficult to tell. The plumage seems quite even but the tail feathers are quite pronounced. But the fact that the combs and wattles are as they are would suggest a pullet. In my experience, chickens at that age tend to group not according to sex but I am no expert on chicken behaviour and interaction. Most of my broods tend to stick together as a group with the occasional break-offs that do their own thing for a period of time. My last batch, hatched in April, with a 50 / 50 mix of roos and pullets still hang out as a group.