How early can you tell if you have a rooster?

[imthedude]

Curious how early one can tell if there is a rooster in a bunch of new chicks. We have 8 chicks that are about 10 or 11 days old. One of the BO's is slightly bigger than the rest and is a little more curious than the others. S/he is the first to come to the door of the brooder when I come to check on them, change water/feed, etc. You can see the slightest hint of a comb starting to form, also, where the others, both the BO's and BR's, have none yet. Any thoughts on whether this girl might really be a boy? Supposed to be all hens, but I know people make mistakes some of the time.

 

[lurky]

Yes you can tell even within a few days in some of them. Those instincts for me have usually been correct, but its sometimes hard to tell.
Post pics if you can.


ETA: i had a BO that had a comb and wattles twice the size of the rest, and she was twice the size but still was a she.
The Buff Orps can fool you good.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Sometimes you can tell, and sometimes you can't. If the comb of the one in question starts to turn red in the next couple of weeks, you can be pretty certain you got a boy, but growing a comb a little earlier doesn't necessarily tell the story. Some girls just mature faster than others. I've also been told that bo's are some of the hardest to tell until they come of age .... unless of course their comb turns bright red the first month or they start crowing or something.

And that can happen.

 

[Kristian]

Well sometimes you can tell that its a roo by its comb that is usually slightlly bigger then the female as he gets a little older.

 

[Hay]

I heard that once the feathers grow in, you can check to see if the feathers are really shiny. if it is, it's usually a male. But it doesn't work for silkies.

 

[Omani]

I have eight chicks that are just under a week old. Two or three of them will run straight at another chick and then jump at them feet first. I'm guessing that they are going to turn out to be boys. Unless somebody knows that girls do the same type of "boxing" thing. Otherwise, all the feathers(fuzz) and combs and such look about the same.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Yes, i've seen some very dull feathered boys, so if that tip has any credence, it might have been breed-specific. Then again, sometimes people seem to just make things up.

 

[imthedude]

here are some pictures

s/he is the 2nd from the front looking at the camera.

here's a picture of her/his comb. when i looked at it again, it's not that much bigger than the other BO's combs.

thoughts anyone?

 

[PunkinPeep]

I don't think i could make any assumptions from that size comb just yet. If it starts turning pink this week, then yes. Sounds to me like she just has an outgoing personality....but time will tell.

 

[lurky]

Is that pic at 8-10 days old, or is that from the first couple days you had them?
I think its too soon to tell from the pic, but the personality you describe would have me suspicious too.
post a new pic in a week or so.