EE genders - the topic of the day! 8-week old pair. Roo or not roo?

[chics in the sun]

I got these two gorgeous EE's today, and I'm not sure if the black and white one is a he or she. They are 8 weeks old. I see two other posters here are asking about their EE's, so apparently it's difficult to tell. Give me some input/ opinions if you can. I just love them and would hate to split them up - the are together all the time.

 

[bturbo87]

do you think that you would be able to get a picture of them side by side? Or is there any size difference? here is a pic of my EEs one is a roo and the other is a pullet. Yet they are 4 1/2 months old.

 

[anniem]

Looks very roo to me. The girls don't get that kind of comb.

 

[ArizonaDesertChicks]

Quote:
I agree - both your chickens are roos.

 

[chics in the sun]

bturbo87 - which is which? Is the black and white one the roo?


I'm gonna cry... But here are some body shots. The brown one apparently had more tail-feathers, but they got pecked out.

 

[MissD'uccle]

I agree, both roos. Sorry.

 

[bturbo87]

I would say wait a month or two see if one gets bigger than the other but for me I am going to have to disagree with the others. I believe but not 100% sure that the Black and white is a roo but believe the brown one is a pullet. With mine the black/silver one is our roo and our brown one is a pullet.

 

[chics in the sun]

Thanks for the sliver of hope, bturob87. The black and white one's comb is definately much wider than the other one's, and I think I have a better understanding now of what "pointed saddle feathers" means. I will wait a month or so - is it bad to split them up after that point? They really do seem attached to eachother.

Seriously - I got an "Ameracuana" chick at the pet store (my bad there, I know), and did all this research into the breeds before I actually went back to buy my first three. Somehow I didn't notice the slate-color leg requirement, and now I have a wacky leghorn instead. And now at least one of my EE's, possibly both, are roos........

lessons learned by a newbie, I guess.

 

[The Lisser]

I also am not sure about the brown one. The black and white does look like a cockerel, the vote is still out on the other one, IMHO.

I have heard that roos that are raised together can live together in peace if they don't have hens to fight over, so maybe your EEs can stay together. My little flock is about 12 weeks old, and I have 7 cockerels together; I have two pullets which will be moving to a chicken tractor (as soon as we build it!). I didn't plan for this many roos, but that's what you get when you get mystery chicks! So far they are not fighting more than normal pecking order stuff.

If they are cockerels, you should start to see shiny, pointed saddle and hackle feathers in a couple weeks if they feather out like my chicks did, then you'll know for sure.

Good luck! I love EE's. Yours are very good looking.

Melissa

 

[Morgan7782]

two more rooster votes here!