Have I bought 2 cockerels?

[jeanette2roos]

Yesterday I bought 2 light sussex crosses and a cuckoo maran. I was told they were all 18 weeks and pullets. I put them in with my existing flock last night and have been tolerated by the hens. I noticed this morning that my rooster tried to mate with the maran but behaved differently around the other 2 (foot stamping and watching them). The maran is often with one or the other of the sussex but rarely with both together. On the one occasion I saw them together today ( and I have spent a lot of time out there with them) I noticed the two sussex squaring up to one another face to face. They stretched their necks right forwards and splayed all of their neck feathers and just stared at each other for what seemed like ages.They didn't fight. This behaviour has worried me as I have only ever seen cockerels/roosters behave this way towards one another.

I have not heard them crow.
Have I been sold cockerels rather than hens?

Suspect 1
Suspect 2
Maran of the same age

 

[Basskids08]

The only one that concerns me is 2, looks like a cockerel IMO!

 

[Chukar man]

I think that they are all hen and I have 2 hens one in a cage the other is free range and they fight all the time

 

[Lollie508]

I think suspect 1 is a rooster because of the tail feathers of a rooster are beginning to emerge, I'm not sure what there called though. It's a little harder to tell with suspect 2, but I think it's a hen. I also have 4 pullets. That are 3 months old that square off too. Hope this helps.

 

[abserbean]

They look like hens to me, as long as you are sure of the age. At 18 weeks, the saddle and hackle feathers would be showing more, and comb larger, in a roo. Just my opinion, I don't have these crosses, but they look like hens at point of lay to me. My girls will raise their hackle feathers at each other as they are arranging pecking order/dominance, doesn't mean they are roos.

 

[Sunshine0235]

As long as they really are 18 weeks, I dont see any definite male characteristics in either of them. I hope the person who sold them were honest with you, if they were, they are very pretty pullets.

 

[jeanette2roos]

Thankyou for all of your replies. I'm still non the wiser but have my fingers crossed for 2 pretty hens.

 

[Stiggy]

3 is a girl ( which you know, 2 looks like a boy to me, and im unsure on 1

 

[Mountain Peeps]

1 & 2 look like boys .