Do "teenage" roosters have wattles & combs?

[AuburnChickenNewbies]

So ..

We have six teenagers, hatched out in mid-April. One of them is crowing, I swear. And yet, he/she doesn't have any features I would expect to start seeing in a young rooster. Very small comb, not particularly bigger than anyone else. No sign of wattles at all. No sign of spurs. He looks like a barred rock. He'd have to be a cross as George, our rooster, definitely is a mutt of some sort, but we do have a barred rock hen.

When George starts crowing, periodically this youngster starts crowing in reply. Not full fledged yet, but definitely on its way.

Could this be a crowing hen? (I know ... probably a stupid question.)

 

[Fancychooklady]

Nothing stupid about it. Some hens do crow. A pic of the culprit would help the rest of us make a judgement .

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Our sixteen week old roo has the whole rooster look already, but I think some breeds mature faster then others.

 

[soydo]

Post body side shot pictures in Breeds and Gender Guesses forum.

If the father does not have the barring as barred rocks have, then this is a boy. A non-barred rooster bred with a barred rock will have sons that are all barred and looking same or very similar to barred rocks and the daughters would be either black or mostly black and none of the barring. This is because the barring is a sex linked gene.

There are many reasons for small combs and or wattles, too many to list on here, would be best to show pictures of the birds you have questions about.

 

[AuburnChickenNewbies]

I agree ... a photo will be best. I'll get out there and try again. The photos I have are a bit blurry as I was trying to take it with my smartphone instead of my camera. ... Soon!

 

[AuburnChickenNewbies]

Okay, let's try this. All I can say is that it's remarkably hard to get a clear picture of a chicken! ;-)

 

[AuburnChickenNewbies]

Oh! I'd better put this over in the Breeds and Genders Forum! Sorry ...

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Even though his comb isn't that large, it looks like he has a roosters tail...

 

[Fancychooklady]

Yes, I'd say roo.

 

[soydo]

Yeah that's a very beautiful roo. The signs are his general type and also the roosterly feathers coming up on his neck, wing area and back- it's the one with a fair bit of white.

Here's the answers to your other questions: his comb is small because it is a pea comb. They are naturally smaller than the regular kind of combs(single). He doesn't have wattles because he is bearded. Beards naturally reduce wattles to almost nothing or smallish at best.

It's set deal for him being your roo and the barred rock hen's boy. It also goes back to what I said earlier about that barring is a sex linked trait so the clue was right there from hatch- black chick with a white head spot. Mind you, that does not work with a barred rooster over any hen, it only works with a not barred rooster over barred girls.