HELP!!! IS IT A HEN OR A ROOSTER

[BuffOrpington88]

Looks like a cockerel. He'll probably start crowing about 18 weeks.

 

[theoldchick]

Cockerel

 

[bruceha2000]

looks like a roo to me, this is my 4 month old hen I just took this 2 days ago 7-13-2012



This is the post I would be nervous about if I was hoping for a hen. 2 weeks OLDER than the OP's and only a hint of comb and wattles.

But I am REALLY new to chickens, mine are nearly 5 weeks old and I have no Barred Rocks so what do I know?

"at what point will he start waking up the neighbors at the crack of dawn?"

And all through the day!! We have one across the street and no one told him his alarm clock job ends, and the flock protecting jobs starts, after the first or second "cock a doodle doo". He's 'on' all day long. I've heard this is not at all uncommon.

He's a beautiful bird Suzy.

 

[angel8035]

This is exactly what my four month old looks like. No comb or waddles and just starting to turn a little pink.

looks like a roo to me, this is my 4 month old hen I just took this 2 days ago 7-13-2012

 

[moonlitechick]

You got ya one pretty rooser there. He looks just like my barred roo did at that age. Mine is 22 week and still not crowing but is def a roo.

 

[peepmommy]

Thanks for the side view... I would say cockerel from the feathers! Like I said earlier, my hens have red combs just like him... Each chicken is different.

 

[donrae]

No doubt that is a rooster. 5 months is average for maturity but can be to either side of that. First crowing attempts will sound like he's being strangled while trying to swallow a yowling cat.

 

[HEChicken]

I stand by my initial assessment that it is a rooster but with the whole body shot it is even more obvious. See the tail feathers already starting to grow long and curve? And if you look closely you will see he is developing saddle feathers (the ones before the tail) that are long and narrow and point down towards the ground. Also, the neck (hackle) feathers will be narrow and pointy.

I've had a rooster crow as early as 9 weeks but the "average" age they start is between 16-18 weeks. At one time I was growing out four young cockerels and one started to crow around 16 weeks. For a few weeks he was the only one crowing, and then it was time for freezer camp. I decided to keep one nice cockerel who had not yet crowed and we butchered the other three. The very next morning, the one who had never before crowed, got started. I suspect that while the dominant rooster was crowing, the other three would have been slow to get started but once he was out of the picture, the one who was left crowed right away.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

The chicken is about 14 weeks old. The problem is, she's my favorite one and I really dont want to have to give it back to the breeder. She/he is really smart and we've bonded. LOL
I guess I'm just going to hold out and see what happen. Keep you all posted if we get lucky and it starts laying eggs. Fingers crossed But I'm new at this and by your posts its not looking to good.
~Susan

Really does look like you have a cockerel. Sorry. Those are some mighty big yellow legs he's got there! I've read that the pullets tend to have the black wash over the front of yellow legs and boys more often have yellow with little or no black on the legs. It all adds up to rooster.

So many people report very friendly and personable youngsters, that become favorites, and then are revealed as cockerels. Not all of them stay friendly after the hormones hit! At least you have the option of giving him back to the breeder. Can you get a pullet replacement? My hatchery BR pullet is by far the most friendly of my mixed flock of 11, so maybe it's a trait of the breed.

 

[Birdgirl99]

It really looks like a rooster but again my Rhode island red female has a 5 inch tall comb but lays eggs like a champ mine is most certainly not a rooster but yours looks like it but some hens have really large combs and wattlessorry about the picture being fuzzy i'll take another one in a minute but this is caramel or i call her Rhody