Is this a sign of a RIR chick being a cockerel?

[crazyhatlady]

Because I did not pay attention at TSC I got 3 red pullets and 3 straight run RIR. The RIR are about 2 weeks old now. And 2 of the 3 are bigger than the 1. And those two a couple times a day will stretch up tall and jump and bang their chests against each other a couple of times before they scatter in different directions.

Or is this normal for all RIR at this age?

TIA.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Chest bumping is not, by itself, a sign of sexuality. All chicks do this to some extent. It is just jostling for position.

The males will often have shorter tails at this age. Then, at 6-7 weeks, the males will be the first to sprout red combs and red wattles. They'll often do this a month before the pullets show any color on their combs at all.

 

[ButchGood]

I've noticed that if chicks your age stand tall with their head held high they are usually a rooster. While the hens stand lower with their head down. This observation held true for nearly all chicks that I've raised.

 

[crazyhatlady]

Thank you both.