Is this a rooster or a pullet?

[Percheron chick]

If mating happens to a hen, does that make a possibility of them becoming "broody"? 

Not at all.
Dark EE chicks does not indicate male. My experience has been the exact opposite. The darker and drab ones are more often pullets and the lighter, splashier ones are cockerels.

 

[junebuggena]

Orpingtons tend to be very broody birds.

 

[Percheron chick]

Are they actually stocking straight run chicks and not pullets? 50% is really bad luck.
I was checking out the EE bin at the feed store. a lady came up and let me know she had selected all the cool looking ones. I thought how disappointed she was going to be in 8 weeks...

 

[junebuggena]

New problem is arising.

The cockerels are fighting now. Is there a reason behind this drastic change??

At their age, it's more likely related to pecking order than hormones. Pecking order fights can start as early as two weeks old.

 

[junebuggena]

If it's a cockerel, dark red feathers on the shoulder/wing should be coming in pretty soon. All red/gold base color males will get those red shoulders. Male hackles and saddles will start to be visible by about 12 weeks.
If the coloring stays pretty much the same for the next month, it's a pullet for sure.
My Easter Egger cockerel went from this at 6 weeks

to this by 8 weeks.

At 10 weeks, the comb was huge and red, and his coloring had completely changed.

 

[Jenneh85]

Here are some better pictures of Peep and a female next to it.

This is the reason I think it is a he.



This is a face shot of Peep showing off the comb in question.




The female above it here has a flush comb like my 2 older females did when they were pullets.



Now two beaks for comparison, see the bumps in Peeps but not in Spots?



Again with the frontal comb shot, are these bumps proof of a Rooster?



A shot of Spot just for comparison.



comb comparison.



This is the best shots I could get right now, as they are still very young and "hyper".

I just want to find out of Peep is a Rooster.

 

[Jenneh85]

It was the same when I got all 3 of them, then out of no where the redness came in and the bumps were more noticeable.

how old do they have to be to be able to gage the gender?

 

[junebuggena]

That is a lot of comb development for such a young chick, and it's starting to pink up. I think it's going to be a cockerel.

 

[junebuggena]

It was the same when I got all 3 of them, then out of no where the redness came in and the bumps were more noticeable.

how old do they have to be to be able to gage the gender?

Usually by about 8 to 10 weeks, males are pretty obvious.

 

[Jenneh85]

That is a lot of comb development for such a young chick, and it's starting to pink up. I think it's going to be a cockerel.

When I got Peep the come looked smaller but still had bumps like that but wasnt red, about close to two weeks ago it started getting redder and bumpier.


The lady at the place I bought them said there was a way to tell but holding them and turning them over onto their backs in your hand, Spot and Scaredy dont freak out but Peep doesnt like being turned over.

I dont know if this is true or not but i'd thought id mention it.