Hen or Rooster can't tell!

[Uilenya]

Hi there. I'm hoping to find out if my chicken is male or female. Acts like a hen and is about 4 or 5 months old. Father is English Orpington, mother could be Cuckoo Maran I think. All the sisters are hens but are all black. Hoping for an idea cause I can't have roos where I'm at.

 

[annageckos]

Cockerel, he has male feathering coming in.

 

[junebuggena]

A barred/cuckoo hen can only pass that gene to her male offspring. You most certainly have a cockerel.

 

[rebrascora]

If the mother was barred (or cuckoo) and the sire was not barred, then you have created sex links and the barred bird in question will be male. The mother can only pass the barring gene onto her male offspring.

 

[Uilenya]

Oth man that's too bad. He's so sweet and even purrs when I hold/pet him. I want to keep him but if he's male I can't.

 

[chuckachucka]

Even without knowing the genetics, that blue/green tail feather is a dead giveaway. It's a cockerel I'm afraid.

 

[chuckachucka]

Your hens are gorgeous though.

 

[Uilenya]

Thank you. I'm new to chickens but absolutely love them. They love to sit on my lap and have me pet them. The older girls were trying to sit on me earlier all at once but they're too big for my lap for all three. Got one laying now and one soon cause she's squatting now when I go by her. They're more my feather babies than anything which will make it hard to give one up.

 

[Uilenya]

It's very sad it's a boy. He's a mama's boy then. Was cleaning stuff and wasn't petting him so he jumped on my lap. Snapped a picture.

 

[drumstick diva]

Maybe you can pretend he isn't a male - and he will forget to crow. He's a sweetie.