I think my hen might be a rooster

[sgashcraft]

I bought this americuana to add to my flock but as she's grown I just feel like she looks a little different from my other hens. However I've never raised this breed and they're all around a bit different looking. So I'm wondering, does "she" look more like a he?

 

[chicmom]

I think your suspicions are correct. Looking at the pics, I see saddle feathers on the back near the tail, and of course that magnificent tail, and the pointy feathers around the neck would point to her being a him. The only thing that seem un-male is the comb. It's like there is barely any comb.

It's a beauty!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Which one are you suspecting to be a cockerel?
The bird with all of the markings is a pullet, those are classic Easter Egger pullet markings. The other I'm not so sure about, but I'm not really seeing anything that screams cockerel to me.

Cockerels of this breed (especially the buffish color you've got) get very red patches on their wings and back, they don't show any pattern. They also typically have 3 rows of "peas" on their combs.

Anyway, I'd guess they're both girls. You could Google Americauna/Easter Egger pics and compare roosters and hens. When you can see them side by side, the difference is usually pretty obvious.

Good luck!

 

[sgashcraft]

The comb is what confuses me it's not prominent at all. But other than that he/she looks pretty fancy. If it was a male would it be crowing already?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

How old are they? EE/Amer. have pea combs, so even if you've got a rooster there, it *shouldn't* have a very large comb.

 

[aart]

I say both pullets....yes, how old, about 3 months?


Here's an EE pullet at 3 weeks....single row of 'peas'


Here an EE cockerel at 3 weeks....3 rows of 'peas'.

 

[azygous]

The three-row pea comb seems to be merely coincidental. Apparently, it can also occur on pullets. See post #6 on this thread to see a pullet with a three-row pea comb. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/128806/differences-ee-ameraucana-araucana-pls-post-pics

You may have to wait until the chicken in question either lays an egg or crows. But watch for the color of the comb. It will tend more to reddish early on if it's a cockerel. The pullets will have light orange combs until onset of laying.

 

[sgashcraft]

He/she is 13-15 weeks not sure exactly.

This is what the comb looks like. It definitely seems to have 3 rows. It is a little red but I feel like all my hens had reddish combs by this age.

 

[aart]

The three-row pea comb seems to be merely coincidental. Apparently, it can also occur on pullets. See post #6 on this thread to see a pullet with a three-row pea comb. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/128806/differences-ee-ameraucana-araucana-pls-post-pics

You may have to wait until the chicken in question either lays an egg or crows. But watch for the color of the comb. It will tend more to reddish early on if it's a cockerel. The pullets will have light orange combs until onset of laying.

I don't see anything on that post that indicates the 3 row thing is merely coincidental......I'm sure it isn't absolute, but it certainly told the tale accurately on my youngsters (although the pics I have are not that clear) and I have seen it indicated in several other examples.

He/she is 13-15 weeks not sure exactly.
This is what the comb looks like. It definitely seems to have 3 rows. It is a little red but I feel like all my hens had reddish combs by this age.

I don't agree that it looks like 3 rows.....

But anyway at 15 weeks, I think those are pullets due to the lack of pointed saddle feathers.

 

[enola]

I have raised hundreds of Easter Egger roosters. In my experience if a chick had 3 rows of peas it was ALWAYS a rooster. Most chicks with a single row of peas are pullets, occassionally a cockerel will have a single row of peas. But, very seldom.