how early do the combs on RIR become red if they are boys?

[aran]

So another sexing q sorry guys. My 3 remaining RIR chicks are doing great. 2 of them have the same feather colouring and are the same size. The 3rd has much paler coloured feathers ( esp on his? back and neck and chest) and his/her comb is now ( just in the last 4-5 days) become considerably larger and redder than the other 2. I did order 3 pullets and 1 roo but we lost one chick shortly after they arrived. What do you guys think, is it about time for the comb/wattle (i dont know which one is which to be honest) to start colouring up if he is a roo?

 

[eggchel]

Really sounds like a cockerel.

chel

 

[Southern28Chick]

My RIR are 3 weeks old and I can tell now that Sgt Major Bok Bok is a roo. We ordered them from Ideal and when we got them they had colored his face green with a marker to indicate who the male was. So I also know he was a roo but now a 3 weeks old his comb is bigger and not redder yet but pinker. His wattles are also growing fast and are bright red. The 5 RIR girls barely have wattles and combs.

Oh, another way to tell is the roo tail feathers grow slower than the girls'. My girls (all my girls, 4 different breeds) have long pretty little tail feathers. Bok Bok has a short stubby tail.

Hope this helps.