Help...Am I a Rooster?

[CITY ROOSTER]

...My wife and i wanted to get our children a baby chick for easter for some reason the state we are in has a law that says you have to buy six at a time so now we have 3 chickens (left) 2 are black with gold stripes and really small compared to the yellow one that is 3 times there size I believe that chick is 3 weeks old now how old do they have to be to be able to tell whether they are a rooster or a chicken?..Ibelieve they said hes some kind of (cross)??

 

[Peep_Show]

Looks like a Cornish Rock Cross and I think -- although not sure -- pullet. Some breeds -- like leghorns -- comb up seemingly immediately. Your bird still has a lot of down on it, so still too young to tell. However, by the structure of the bird and the description that it is three times the size, CRX is a good guess. (Meat bird, btw...will eat LOTS)

 

[CITY ROOSTER]

thank you for the info not sure myself would like him to be a rooster seeing since the other two are hens they are making good pets so far good with the childrenis there a way to tell after they're down has fallen off and their feathers come in if they are a rooster or hen??

 

[Peep_Show]

On roosters the combs turn pink to red early and they develop wattles early, whereas a hen's comb will turn from pale to pink to red right before laying. Sometimes you can tell by the weight and build (especially with a meat bird as the males bulk up quicker than the females and there are growth charts that tell you at what age/weight/sex). But the surefire answer is "When they crow you'll know!"

IMHO, unfortunately, meat birds do not make good pets or layers. Their primary purpose is to eat and if they bulk up too quickly you can have a young bird with a heart attack or slipped leg tendons. They'll stay in one place vs. forage and can be prone to rubbing the feathers off their sternum. And, of course, feed in = poop out and meat birds produce a lot of the latter. Too, they seem to be quite susceptible to heat. Nevertheless, some folks have kept them as pets....but they're better project birds.

 

[Bear Creek Loft]

...My wife and i wanted to get our children a baby chick for easter for some reason the state we are in has a law that says you have to buy six at a time so now we have 3 chickens (left) 2 are black with gold stripes and really small compared to the yellow one that is 3 times there size I believe that chick is 3 weeks old now how old do they have to be to be able to tell whether they are a rooster or a chicken?..Ibelieve they said hes some kind of (cross)??

It looks like a Cornish rock cross. They are a mix (explaining why you were told it was a mix from the beginning). They grow extremely fast. They are meant to be at a butchering weight around 6-8 weeks. That's why he's so big compared to the others. And just a tip, you may want to get rid of him soon before your kids wake up to a dead chick. Cornish rocks usually begin to die off around the age of 12 weeks or so. They aren't meant to live longer than that. They have heart attacks, their legs break beneath their own body weight and so forth. Friendly birds but terrible pets. I would sell or get rid of him ASAP especially if your children are younger.

 

[CITY ROOSTER]

wow that sucks I really like the little bird and you're saying he'll live till 12 weeks?

 

[Peep_Show]

They can live longer, but you'll have to keep the bird on a diet and really watch the calcium and phosphorus ratios....which kind of takes the joy out of keeping chickens when you have one that's starving and special needs. I've heard of folks that have kept pet hens for a bit, but I haven't heard of any old roos. Seriously, when I raised them they were beyond messy.