Hen or rooster?

[Scruzet]

Hi! I’m new here and new to raising chickens. Just trying to figure out if I have a hen or rooster. Currently have a barred rock and buff orpington. I know it may be a little early to tell but I’m thinking one of themj may be a rooster.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Pretty sure that's not a buff; they're solid yellow. That one looks like some sort of golden sexlink to me, or maybe a random cross.

The Barred Rock isn't a barred rock either; they don't have peacombs. If she were a BR, her comb would look like that of the other girl.

I'm pretty sure that they are both girls though, and they are beautiful.

Welcome to BYC!

EDT: just took another look at the barred one's comb. It's rather bright colored for a pullet. What age are they?

 

[Chickens_4Life]

Actually, you can tell even before now. I don't really know how to write this, but here's a quote: "Male chicks will eggs-ibit a neat “all one length” feather sprout pattern, while the females wing tips will show an alternating pattern of long and short feather sprouts". I'm pretty sure they're girls.

 

[Chickens_4Life]

Pretty sure that's not a buff; they're solid yellow. That one looks like some sort of golden sexlink to me, or maybe a random cross.

I disagree. I have a buff, and she looked just like this.

 

[Scruzet]

Pretty sure that's not a buff; they're solid yellow. That one looks like some sort of golden sexlink to me, or maybe a random cross.

The Barred Rock isn't a barred rock either; they don't have peacombs. If she were a BR, her comb would look like that of the other girl.

I'm pretty sure that they are both girls though, and they are beautiful.

Welcome to BYC!

EDT: just took another look at the barred one's comb. It's rather bright colored for a pullet. What age are they?

Thank you!!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Actually, you can tell even before now. I don't really know how to write this, but here's a quote: "Male chicks will eggs-ibit a neat “all one length” feather sprout pattern, while the females wing tips will show an alternating pattern of long and short feather sprouts". I'm pretty sure they're girls.

Sadly, that only works with certain crosses--fast/slow feathering is a sexlinked gene, represented by k. Hens can only get one copy of the k gene (either fast or slow), and roosters have to have two copies of the gene k/k (fast/slow or slow/slow or fast/fast.) Pullets inherit whatever their father had, while baby cockerels inherit one from the mother and one from the father.

If you cross a fast feathering rooster and a slow-feathering hen, the roosters and hens will do exactly as you described above!

Unfortunately, it does only work in certain crosses, and only just as they begin to get their feathers in. Sorry.

 

[Scruzet]

Thank you! There is a chance she is a golden sex link, bc when we chose them they were all mixed and we couldn’t tell the different. They’re just about 4 weeks.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The Bard chick is a pullet as evidenced by the pattern in which she is feathering. Cockerels of barred breeds will feather in with much wider white areas resulting in an overall lighter or Gray appearance whereas this bird has very small white areas and is feathering in very darkly. This is because she only has one copy of the barring gene due to her gender.

Actually, you can tell even before now. I don't really know how to write this, but here's a quote: "Male chicks will eggs-ibit a neat “all one length” feather sprout pattern, while the females wing tips will show an alternating pattern of long and short feather sprouts". I'm pretty sure they're girls.

Wing feather sexing, which is what you are referring to, is not universal. It is only accurate when sexing chicks that result from be crossing of two specifically selected lines of parent birds representing fast feathering and slow feathering genetics. Only in these crosses is the reading of the wing feathering accurate in determining gender and the reading must be done within the 1st 3 days of hatch. The application of this method to other chicks not resulting from these very specifically selected crosses is nothing more than the perpetuation of an old wives tale and has a 5050 shot of being accurate.

 

[Chickens_4Life]

oh.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I disagree. I have a buff, and she looked just like this.

Okay, you're right. I definitely over-generalised.

Buffs can have white feathers, but they're really not supposed to. It's often a sign of dominant white in the breeding line and I'm pretty sure that it's an automatic DQ from any show. It could also moult out as she ages.

Still, pretty birds, and who cares about shows? I raise mutts and am proud of them!

The Bard chick is a pullet as evidenced by the pattern in which she is feathering. Cockerels of barred breeds will feather in with much wider white areas resulting in an overall lighter or Gray appearance whereas this bird has very small white areas and is feathering in very darkly. This is because she only has one copy of the barring gene due to her gender.


Wing feather sexing, which is what you are referring to, is not universal. It is only accurate when sexing chicks that result from be crossing of two specifically selected lines of parent birds representing fast feathering and slow feathering genetics. Only in these crosses is the reading of the wing feathering accurate in determining gender and the reading must be done within the 1st 3 days of hatch. The application of this method to other chicks not resulting from these very specifically selected crosses is nothing more than the perpetuation of an old wives tale and has a 5050 shot of being accurate.

Agreed on the feather-sexing, but as for the barred one--could be a sexlinked cross, so still only one barring gene, despite being a cockerel. I'm thinking Wyandotte/something.