They can fool you until they develop enough to be certain of the sex. I have a three yr old black Spanish hen with a nice beard that struts, gobbles, fights like a Tom and of course...lays lots of eggs. She also likes hanging out with the "boys" like she's a wanna-be...lol! She is also a pretty good momma. Just so you can expect it, every poult I have raised has strutted whether they were male or female but as they grew the jakes and toms take over with the exception of my one BS hen.