How can you tell a cockerel from a pullet?

[HENS-and-MARES]

What makes a cockerel a cockerel?
What makes a pullet a pullet?
What are some signs, and looks that point to a chicken being a rooster?
What are the most important things that tell the gender, say a chicken has the legs of a hen, and the comb of a rooster?
Basically how can you tell if a rooster is a rooster, and a hen, a hen.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Comb and wattles are the first sign. As they age cockerels begin to develop hackle and saddle feathers.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I don't use legs to decide gender. I've had some very thin legged males.

 

[HENS-and-MARES]

how important are tail feathers?

 

[Painted Calls]

how important are tail feathers?

Not important at all.

Comb and wattles are the number one identifier when the birds are young. If the comb and wattles are large/bright red before 10/12 weeks, you likely have a cockerel. Pullets should stay pale and have relatively small wattles until they get close to POL (point of lay). POL varies with each breed, but generally pullets will start getting more color around 16 weeks. Their wattles will still be small capared to their male counterparts however.

At this point in time, cockerels should have male specific saddle feathers. They will be long, flowing, pointed and shiny. Pullets will have rounded saddle feathers that don't look much different from the rest of their feathers.

Sometimes cockerels legs will be thicker. Sometimes they won't. Tails are also not an indicator of sex.

 

[HENS-and-MARES]

I have a chicken with a pea comb single comb mix. It is a little bigger, at week 11 but isn’t consistently red. When she’s not being picked up, or picked on her comb is not red.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Not important at all.

Comb and wattles are the number one identifier when the birds are young. If the comb and wattles are large/bright red before 10/12 weeks, you likely have a cockerel. Pullets should stay pale and have relatively small wattles until they get close to POL (point of lay). POL varies with each breed, but generally pullets will start getting more color around 16 weeks. Their wattles will still be small capared to their male counterparts however.

At this point in time, cockerels should have male specific saddle feathers. They will be long, flowing, pointed and shiny. Pullets will have rounded saddle feathers that don't look much different from the rest of their feathers.

Sometimes cockerels legs will be thicker. Sometimes they won't. Tails are also not an indicator of sex.

I agree. Not sure where the misconception of tails being big indicators originated from... I feel like I have to say this all the time!

 

[HENS-and-MARES]

But what if their comb is red sometimes but not always? Her pea comb is a little bigger, but it’s a cross between a pea comb and single.