Have a got a rooster??

[happyhovea]

Hi all.
I'm new to this forum as I am to being a chicken owner. We have 2 checkers- Funky is an Australorpe and Stella is a Rhode Island Red. They are both about 18 weeks old.
Yesterday I became concerned that Funky may not be a hen- it's tail feathers looked quite pronounced & he was a bit "strutty" (sorry for the lack of technical terms!) Can anyone advise?
Many thanks

 

[Michael OShay]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but funky is not even a full Australorp. He appears to be a cross between an Australorp and some type of crested chicken such as a Cevecoeur or Polish, and yes, he appears to be a rooster. Sorry.

 

[happyhovea]

Thanks for the response Michael. I knew Funky wasn't full Australorpe (they said he was cross with a New Hampshire(?)) but I had just decided it was a hen. Can you tell me why you think it's a rooster? I read that roosters develop their comb etc much sooner & Funky's comb development is the same as the other hen. I also looked at pics of Australorpe hens & they all seem to have those high curved tail feathers. I'm just clinging to hope here as we are very fond of "it" but will have to get rid of it if it is a rooster! Thanks

 

[gander007]

Alright

great to have you joining the BYC flock

BYC has a very useful learning center

You say Funky is 18 weeks old well a rooster would be trying to crow by the unless a late bloomer ...... Now you say s/he is doing a strut well is s/he dropping the wing feathers down and doing this around your hen and scratching the ground at the same time ??????


Nice coop fence in the back ground have to give you an A+ for that alone ......

 

[Michael OShay]

Can you tell me why you think it's a rooster? I read that roosters develop their comb etc much sooner & Funky's comb development is the same as the other hen.

I'm not positive he's a rooster. He appears to be though, as the tail feathers are far too long and developed for either an Australorp hen or a Crevecoeur hen, and strutting is typical rooster behavior. The problem is, I'm not certain what crested breed is in him. If it's White Crested Black Polish that might account for the more developed tail in a hen, but I would have expected at least some what feathers in the crest (which is why I'm thinking Crevecoeur). However, since I've never see any Australorp x White Crested Black Polish crosses, I can't be certain. If he does have Crevecoeur or Polish blood in him that could account for the lack of comb development. It will be interesting to see what other BYC members think about Funky.

 

[Michael OShay]

I'm not positive he's a rooster.

I hope for your sake I'm wrong and Funky turns out to be a hen.

 

[happyhovea]

Ha, my husband will be very pleased with the A+ as he spent months & months on the coop!
No there was no wing drop or scratching, in fact the strutting was very brief.
Thanks for your comments- they are giving me hope that we may still have a hen. We're quite attached to Funky, especially my daughter, so we're not going to give up on her yet!

 

[gander007]

Ha, my husband will be very pleased with the A+ as he spent months & months on the coop!
No there was no wing drop or scratching, in fact the strutting was very brief.
Thanks for your comments- they are giving me hope that we may still have a hen. We're quite attached to Funky, especially my daughter, so we're not going to give up on her yet!

My Molted Houdan hen had some very large fantail type tail feathers and I was under the impression for several months she was a he but one day around 25 weeks of age she produced me an egg and then I knew for sure she was a big feathered lady ....


And yes he should be proud of the work he put into the chicken run ......

 

[happyhovea]

Hey Michael,
I had never heard of Crevecoeurs but I just googled them & there's a picture of one & it looks exactly like Funky. Funky doesn't have any wattles developing is that what the skin flaps below the beak are called?) so there's still hope. Geez, I sound so desperate!

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

At 18 weeks of age if it was a rooster it would've started crowing. Fingers crossed it's not a late bloomer!