Is my buff orpington a hen or a rooster?

[Noahettes Mom]

I bought 6 pullets mid March. Now one of the buff orpington 'hens' is huge next to the other hens. So now we are wondering, is she a she or a he? I am at work most days, but we haven't heard 'crowing' coming from the coop. They should be almost 36 weeks by now. As far as we know none are laying yet either... help! Any advice is welcome.

 

[cafarmgirl]

If you post a picture we can probably help you figure it out. You can also look for the stringy hackle feathers in the neck and saddle feathers just in front of the tail that mature roo's have. I would think by 9 months old you would have heard a crow by now but there certainly are late bloomers. You should also have seen him mating with the hens by this age.

 

[LuceCannon87]

I've come to learn that Buffs are hard to identify sex..Like farmgirl said a picture would be great if possible. Buffs are naturally big and some just look big but are mostly fluff.. I would think that if it were a roo he would be crowing or at least attempting to crow at 36 weeks. What does the crown look like? Large? Pink? Red?

 

[gmomfarms]

My BO roo is the same age as yours. He is half again larger than the pullets. He doesn't crow a lot, especially now that it is colder, but my first clue was when he started mounting the girls.

 

[Gldnrose]

Pictures would definitely help. I would say that by 36 weeks there shouldn't be any doubt. I got 6 BO's and very early on we knew there was a roo in the mix. He did crow very early also.
Here is a picture of my Rooster and he will be 28 weeks this coming Saturday. And also a picture of my hens for comparison.

 

[Noahettes Mom]

 

[Noahettes Mom]

This is Cluckles, she is only 8 1/2 months old. None of the hens this age are laying yet, that I am aware. We got them mid March. So this is the one that is larger then all the other hens! So I began to wonder, is she a he?? Hope the pics help. Sorry it took me so long, working often.

 

[Noahettes Mom]

If SHE is a HE, then why wouldn't he crow by now?? Isn't that strange? Would this be why they are not laying eggs?

 

[theoldchick]

That's a rooster! Don't worry he'll start crowing when he's ready.

 

[ClareScifi]

What a beautiful rooster! My Buff Orpington boy shocked me by crowing at just 7 weeks old. The first time he crowed it sounded so funny I giggled and giggled. It was about this time of year. I had him in the house, so it was noisy! He is half Leghorn, though, so maybe that is why he crowed so soon. And he was raised alone, so maybe he was bored and took up crowing early, to pass the time. He's 27 months old now and in with his hens. He crows a lot, still, though he does crow less when temps are below freezing outside. Last year a tip of his beautiful comb got frostbite. I was so sad. It's to be only 2 F here tonight, so I need to go winterize the coop for the cold snap ahead. Good luck with your gorgeous guy!!!