Is this 16 week old a rooster?

[elight23]

I have a 16 week old Australorp who is growing some odd rooster-like tail feathers and I'm wondering if she might be a rooster? She was always a little ahead in size of the other Australorp chicks and she's definitely ahead in development in her comb and wattle, but sometimes that just happens. She looks closer to 20 weeks. However, she does not have spurs and has never crowed. I never even considered that she might be a rooster until today when I noticed that her tail feathers are growing very long for a hen and this made me consider her well developed comb and wonder...
...

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Rooster!

 

[appps]

Well not any sort of expert but our Australorpe hen definatly didn't have a tail like that

 

[Cknldy]

Those long curved tail feathers are sickles. I'd say rooster. At 16 weeks are you seeing signs of mating behavior? No crowing at all?

 

[Habibs Hens]

Defo Roo

should crow soon if he hasn't already

 

[Mrs. K]

You are making me feel better. I have had chickens for years, but my BA was the same, always a little ahead of the other chicks, but like you say that happens, and they were different breeds.

Then one day she crowed, and I really looked. I call him Darth Vador.......

 

[elight23]

Yes, no crowing, no spurs and no matting behavior, though he does like to jockey for position with all of the pullets every morning, not with the one hen though. I'm going to try to sell him as a pair with my other Australorp point of lay asap. I'd hate for him to start crowing in my super suburban neighborhood, even though roosters are legal - neighbors would hate me!