Gender help on barred Please

[Soot the silkie]

If your hubby can, barred rock cockerels are fairly good size by 16 weeks and not yet getting aggressive usually. You could make the decision then but I would suggest not naming them... They're more friendly than the pullets while they're young, it can be hard to stay detached. I feel that if they had a wonderful life with me before I eat them, then I did them justice and their life had purpose

I agree with that, though I don't eat chickens at all. And if I were to eat chicken, it would be one of my own not a factory chicken because they practically torture them for every day of their lives in factories and my chickens are the happiest things.

 

[Soot the silkie]

The ones with the smaller white spots should end up being your girls. It is not 100% accurate more like 80% but is a starting point. Other than that you will have to wait and see.

Welcome to the sometimes frustrating chicken world.

I have also heard that if the white spot on their head is not a perfect circle, and is blurry and mixed with the black ,it means its probably a rooster.

 

[Abunari]

Thank you newestchick, I like that frame of thought. I think I will post more pictures of each when they start to get the feathers. Won't name them till after then lol.

 

[newwestchick]

I was pretty easily able to sex mine at about 2-3 weeks, and now at 6 weeks it's very obvious. Here's what I noticed overall, then and now!

Males:
Slower to feather
More yellow legged
Lighter coloured feathering, more like a white bird with black stripes

Females:
Faster feathering
Legs had dark coloration down the fronts
Darker more mottled colouring, like a black bird with white stripes

It's nice to have so many of the same variety, and will make it much easier to tell their sexes. If you have just one with nothing to compare it to the differences aren't that noticeable.

Good luck with your rooster decision! Whatever you decide, feel peaceful that you have your and your chickies best interest in mind. Rehoming often results in the same freezer camp they would be in at your place, but you will have invested all the time energy and money into growing them properly... And you'll not know how they were finally dispatched. Sadly there are very few rooster retirement homes, and if you keep too many you'll realize quickly that's not a viable option for anyone.

I live in an area where I can take them to someone alive and they get dispatched, dressed out, plucked and packaged for $3 a bird. Maybe there is an abattoir near you that can do something similar?

 

[Soot the silkie]

I was pretty easily able to sex mine at about 2-3 weeks, and now at 6 weeks it's very obvious. Here's what I noticed overall, then and now!

Males:
Slower to feather
More yellow legged
Lighter coloured feathering, more like a white bird with black stripes

Females:
Faster feathering
Legs had dark coloration down the fronts
Darker more mottled colouring, like a black bird with white stripes

It's nice to have so many of the same variety, and will make it much easier to tell their sexes. If you have just one with nothing to compare it to the differences aren't that noticeable.

Good luck with your rooster decision! Whatever you decide, feel peaceful that you have your and your chickies best interest in mind. Rehoming often results in the same freezer camp they would be in at your place, but you will have invested all the time energy and money into growing them properly... And you'll not know how they were finally dispatched. Sadly there are very few rooster retirement homes, and if you keep too many you'll realize quickly that's not a viable option for anyone.

I live in an area where I can take them to someone alive and they get dispatched, dressed out, plucked and packaged for $3 a bird. Maybe there is an abattoir near you that can do something similar?

I was going to write something like that but I was too lazy. Thank you for writing it for me!

 

[Abunari]

Awwe look at these cuties at one week they grow so fast. Think im starting to see gender differences so here it goes think this is one of my ladies.

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