Hen or Rooster?!

[KateSaintPaul]

You're welcome, I hate having to make those kinds of guesses, I'm in your boat with you, I have to rehome my beloved d'Uccle's that I just got because they are both roosters.

Thanks, Sylie. Are wattle buds abnormal for a 5 week old hen? If so, I may have more than one roo...My RIR has similar wattles AND thick legs too...Plus she's been walking all over the others...

 

[KateSaintPaul]

Thanks, Sylie. Are wattle buds abnormal for a 5 week old hen? If so, I may have more than one roo...My RIR has similar wattles AND thick legs too...Plus she's been walking all over the others...

Also, what's a d'Uccle? (newbie here, sorry!)

 

[Sylie]

Also, what's a d'Uccle? (newbie here, sorry!)

I'll answer both of those posts in one

yes, it's early for a hen to get wattles. Thick legs USUALLY, not always, indicate a roo. There are hens with thick legs but it's something to add into the list when making a decision.

There are quite a few things that indicate the possibility of a roo, none of them are definitive at this point, they are really too young to say for sure but you can get a feel for one gender or the other by looking at the size, shape, color of the comb, whether or not there are wattles coming in, the thickness of the legs, the saddle feathers (pointed or blunt), the hackle feathers (again, pointed or blunt), it's stance when just standing still, is it upright or more horizontal (upright indicates roo). The rate of feathering is also a factor, roo's tend to feather out slower than females. Add all of these things together and you may have an idea of gender, now, with all of that being said, the number one rule in determining gender at such a young age is "Chicks will fool you!" You honestly cannot know for sure until you see an egg. Crowing is usually an indication lol but there are hens that crow (and lay eggs too) so that cannot always be a determining factor.

D'Uccle's are feather legged, bearded bantam chickens from Belgium. The picture below are my 2, Opal and Genevieve (or Greg and George). You can't see their feathered legs but they are there. The brown one's color pattern is Mille Fleur (mill flur) and the white one is porcelain. The Mille Fleur pattern doesn't come out right away, they have to molt a couple of times before the pattern shows, his is coming in on his rump but, of course, you can't see that either in this picture lol.

No need to apologize, everyone is new at some point in their life and the only way to learn is to ask questions, so please feel free to ask anything you want.

 

[KateSaintPaul]

I'll answer both of those posts in one

yes, it's early for a hen to get wattles. Thick legs USUALLY, not always, indicate a roo. There are hens with thick legs but it's something to add into the list when making a decision.

There are quite a few things that indicate the possibility of a roo, none of them are definitive at this point, they are really too young to say for sure but you can get a feel for one gender or the other by looking at the size, shape, color of the comb, whether or not there are wattles coming in, the thickness of the legs, the saddle feathers (pointed or blunt), the hackle feathers (again, pointed or blunt), it's stance when just standing still, is it upright or more horizontal (upright indicates roo). The rate of feathering is also a factor, roo's tend to feather out slower than females. Add all of these things together and you may have an idea of gender, now, with all of that being said, the number one rule in determining gender at such a young age is "Chicks will fool you!" You honestly cannot know for sure until you see an egg. Crowing is usually an indication lol but there are hens that crow (and lay eggs too) so that cannot always be a determining factor.

D'Uccle's are feather legged, bearded bantam chickens from Belgium. The picture below are my 2, Opal and Genevieve (or Greg and George). You can't see their feathered legs but they are there. The brown one's color pattern is Mille Fleur (mill flur) and the white one is porcelain. The Mille Fleur pattern doesn't come out right away, they have to molt a couple of times before the pattern shows, his is coming in on his rump but, of course, you can't see that either in this picture lol.

No need to apologize, everyone is new at some point in their life and the only way to learn is to ask questions, so please feel free to ask anything you want.View attachment 1426921

Beautiful boys! Thanks for the thoughtful post!

 

[BlackHackle]

Whoa...that there is starting to look like a pullet...by that size mine normally have bigger waddles and a more vivid crown

 

[KateSaintPaul]

Whoa...that there is starting to look like a pullet...by that size mine normally have bigger waddles and a more vivid crown

That's reassuring!

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I don't see anything that says for sure cockerel, my for sure BA cockerels aleady had orange combs and larger wattles at 3 weeks. I wouldn't give up hope yet.