Is our Golden Sex Link chick a roo? Please say no... (PIC HEAVY)

[rhemerick]

We purchased 2 golden sex link chicks from a local feed store, and I am becoming more and more concerned that one of them is a roo. When they were younger (1 week old) the chick in question was only a little lighter than her "sister", but the wing lines on her back running from her neck to her bum were considerably lighter (almost blending in) than her "sisters" copper colored lines on her back. They are now 6 weeks old, and I am really getting concerned that Elizabeth is actually a roo. She is mostly light colored (a "dirty" whitish yellow), and she has some dark brown color on the tips of her wing feathers. at first I thought the brown color was a bit of poo from another roosting chicken that she had walked under. when I went to clean it off her I noticed it was actually the coloring on her wing. She doesn't seem to have a darker red comb, and it is still pretty small, but she is MUCH lighter than the other one we have. Please help me decide if she's actually a he, so I can get rid of her before our neighbors become upset. These pictures are of the chicken in question compared to the other (much darker) colored golden sex link that is the same age. Elizabeth has some redish feathers on her head and a little bit on her chest, but is overall a very light yellowish white color. I cant find any pictures online of golden sex link hens with her coloring. As you can see from the pictures Nugget is definely rusty colored like a golden sex link hen is, with only a little bit of white feathers on her body. Compare that to Elizabeth and I'm concerned..Please help.

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[ChickenLove6]

I don't want to get your hopes up but I think it is a hen!!

She hasn't got a very large comb and has reasonably small feet compared to roosters, so this is a good sign! Hope i'm not wrong, but yeah from what I see she is a hen

 

[rhemerick]

She seems to be growing at a slower rate than the other gold sex link chick that is her same age too.

 

[ChickenLove6]

She most definitely looks like a hen then!

 

[rhemerick]

She has pretty much all her feathers now though. Do they turn rust colored or do chickens lose all their feathers again to get darker colored feathers?

 

[Fred's Hens]

At 6 weeks old, if it were a cockerel, it would already have small red wattles and a red comb. It's a pullet.










Once your eye is trained to see the differences between 6 week old males and females, it is pretty easy to spot the cockerels. Do you see the cockerels vs the pullets in the above photos?

 

[ChickenLove6]

I see what you mean... But I really can't see her comb growing much bigger and her becoming more like a rooster especially when she is already 6 weeks

 

[ChickenLove6]

At 6 weeks old, if it were a cockerel, it would already have small red wattles and a red comb. It's a pullet.










Once your eye is trained to see the differences between 6 week old males and females, it is pretty easy to spot the cockerels. Do you see the cockerels vs the pullets in the above photos?

I agree with you completely!!