Help please...hens or roos?

[ChooksChick]

I agree that Daisy is a pullet, as she's darker than I'd expect for a roo, and I had 2 pullet BR that had comb with which I was suspect at this stage. They lay nice, brown eggs for having been suspected roos!

Best of luck!

 

[firedove]

If I am getting the hang of this genetics thing...

As I understand it a barred rock roo with only one barring gene will look similar in color to a barred rock hen (which can ONLY carry one copy of the barring gene). It is the barred rock roos that are pure for barring that have the lighter color and clean yellow legs.

All in all I'm still learning so I could be wrong.

With that said, my barred rock pullets had big pink combs early on and now have huge red combs and good sized waddles, for a long time I thought they had to be roos. Both have since laid eggs for me so I guess that answers that, lol. I think it's much harder to tell on the BRs, you'll know when it crows or doesn't (although some hens crow, so even then, lol). If it lays you an egg, it's a hen, that's a definite!

 

[Judy]

I would guess Rose and Poppy as roos. But you have breeds I have not had.

I go by leg size, rate of feathering, and behavior, more than combs. Seems to me that roos feather slower and have thicker legs. Roos start that neck craning and chest bumping stuff pretty early. They do tend to have larger and redder combs at a few weeks, I think, but these hatchery chicks have such a variation in combs. I get real suspicious of a roo when I see a wattle starting, though.

I had one who I thought was a hen for about 12 weeks, then he crowed -- sort of -- turned out he was just a runt, never grew to full size for his breed, or developed half the roo feathers the others did. And that was always a pitiful crow.

 

[Judy]

Oh, I bought 5 BR's that had been sexed as roos by the hatchery. One has a much smaller and paler comb than the others, no wattles, is shorter and fatter, is much more laid back, and has a smaller tail. But it is extremely active and healthy looking. I am hoping they were wrong.

 

[tiki244]

I am thinking Poppy is a boy because of the big legs

Daisy a girl because of the darker coloring

Rose IDK RIRs are so hard to tell for me. I had a couple pullets that looked like that, I couldnt tell till they were 4 months

 

[dr_lukanov]

Quote:

 

[LadyShred]

Daisy IS a female. I'll bet on it.

I have 5 barred rocks and they're all girls. Their combs grew WAAAAY faster and larger than all the other breeds of hens I have. Now their combs are almost as big as the roos that are a year older than them. And I'm positive that they are girls because they're all laying lol. That's the only way I can tell.

 

[teddiliza]

Daisy looks just like my little 'Smiley' did as a chick and she's my best layer!

Smiley's comb and wattles grew fast too, but they were soft and rounded vs. my one cockerel had a comb that was more straight and staircased in appearance.

 

[lilbirdee]

I just wanted to thank all of you who replied here.
I have learned a lot about what to look at/for when guessing the sex.
I am pretty convinced that Daisy is a hen. But the verdict is still out on Rose.
Time will tell.
I am getting another batch of chicks from my feed store starting next week and get to do the guessing game with them too. I'll have 17 or so total birds by then and I realize that the odds that at least 1 or 2 are roos is high.
They'll be dinner unless I can find someone to buy them.
I definitely don't want roos. My neighbor has some, and the 3am plus all day long crowing is more than enough for me!

 

[OldMORoo]

BR will be a hen, # 1 looks like a RIR and looks like some of my girls. Betting both pullets. Others that I can see are hennies also. But what do I know.

Claude