Hen or Roo Barred Rock

[Lemon-Drop]

I would say Pullet. On some chicks, wattles just come in. At 4 weeks, I was surprised to see wattles on my chick (who is a confirmed pullet now)

The reason I say pullet is because of barred rock coloring. I have heard that Barred Rock cockerels have lighter coloring, while females have darker coloring. I am not an expert though.

 

[SASnCoBYC]

It helps to have others to compare it with. If the comb and wattles are larger and more red than they are on the others, it’s likely a cockerel. Are the legs thicker? It the bird in question larger than the others?

The other two didn't have wattles coming in yet, they barely have combs. It is noticeably bigger and thicker in the legs/feet. But the legs aren't that orange which I thought was a male trait for the breed.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I’m getting boy vibes. Like what everyone else says, it’s good to have others of the same age to compare them to. What I’ve noticed in my little roos is behavior. They tend to stand taller than the girls and are a lot more alert/will make more alert sounds than the girls. I dunno. I can usually just ‘tell’ by 2-3 weeks old if I have a boy chicken. I have a little guy right now (3 weeks old) and I’ve been suspecting he’s a boy for a while now (have been holding out and hoping this will be the one girl who falls into some roo stereotypes, though ).

 

[SASnCoBYC]

The only other thing is a behavior thing..the BR and one of my CQs will run up to each other randomly and like do this momentary face off where they stand as tall as they can and eyeball each other beak to beak, and then walk away.

 

[Mylied]

All those barred rocks are female. You can tell by the stripes. Males are doubled barred so look lighter. Females are single barred so look darker.

 

[SASnCoBYC]

I’m getting boy vibes. Like what everyone else says, it’s good to have others of the same age to compare them to. What I’ve noticed in my little roos is behavior. They tend to stand taller than the girls and are a lot more alert/will make more alert sounds than the girls. I dunno. I can usually just ‘tell’ by 2-3 weeks old if I have a boy chicken. I have a little guy right now (3 weeks old) and I’ve been suspecting he’s a boy for a while now (have been holding out and hoping this will be the one girl who falls into some roo stereotypes, though ).

I am pretty sure the one I'm questioning was the one that had been isolated from the other two at the farm store because it was being aggressive. I felt bad about leaving it as it was the last BR so we took it home. Was never aggressive once we brought it home.

 

[SASnCoBYC]

All those barred rocks are female. You can tell by the stripes. Males are doubled barred so look lighter. Females are single barred so look darker.

So do you think it might be a day or so older than the other two for why it seems bigger and a bit ahead developmentally?

 

[Mylied]

So do you think it might be a day or so older than the other two for why it seems bigger and a bit ahead developmentally?

Chickens can grow at different rates. You said it's bossy so it might dominate the food bowl. In the end, it'll all work out and they'll be around the same size.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I am pretty sure the one I'm questioning was the one that had been isolated from the other two at the farm store because it was being aggressive. I felt bad about leaving it as it was the last BR so we took it home. Was never aggressive once we brought it home.

I would have done the same thing . Also, I have this knack for bringing home roosters. No matter how many chicks I get, I always end up with at least one boy. A friend of mine was complaining she got a rooster in her batch last year (mind you, she probably gets a dozen or more chicks a year from our local feed store, and this is the first year she ever got a boy). I just looked at her, aghast. I’ve only been keeping chickens again (had them all the time while a kid) for less than a decade, and have only purchased chicks three times, and each time I’ve gotten a roo (luckily I like them and am able to keep them where I live).

 

[bobbi-j]

Give it a couple of more weeks. It will be obvious sooner or later.