Just for fun... Guess my gender (Barred Rock)

[AutMom3113]

So we have 4 chicks sharing our home with us and 3 of them are pretty easily sexed. But this one girl is throwing me for a loop. My mom's husband, who has raised livestock of all types all of his life, agrees that she may actually be a he. So I thought I would throw some pictures up here to get some opinions.

A couple of things:
1. I know it is really to early to tell. I just want to see what others think. Time will be the true test!
2. I've looked at tons of pictures on here and none have satisfied my curiosity.

Also, this little one is the biggest of our flock. She often stands to the side just looking around and the other barred seems to be obsessed with being right by her as much as possible. The Orps don't seem to care one way or another! Finally, her legs have some black on the front and she is very dark (which point to girl), but her comb is coming in much quicker than the others, although we haven't seen any signs of pink yet.

So, let me know what you think!

Photo 1: You can see how much further out her back end sticks out here.


Photo 2: This is a top view. The spot at the top of her head was very white, but it is turning quiet yellow now. This picture was 2 days ago and now her neck is very white, as are under her wings and a stripe at the base of her tail as you can see in pic number 3.



Photos 3 - 7 My daughter and I just took these this morning:










Thanks for looking! It'll be fun to see what everyone thinks

 

[Fred's Hens]

At five weeks, the cockerels and pullets, with hatchery grade breeding, are down right straight forward to sex.
Mostly, the difference is night and day, when sitting side by side.




Pullets tend to feather in dark, have front leg wash, and will not sprout combs or wattles until later in life. Cockerels will feather in brightly, and bold barring, and will sprout reddish combs and little red wattles at 5-6 weeks, while the pullets will remain yellowish. Yup, with BR from a hatchery, it is pretty clear very early on.

 

[Pele]

It is a boy. The spot on his head is too disorganized, and his overall bodycolor is too light for traditional female coloration.

 

[Coop Deville]

Cockerel

 

[speckledhen]

I don't see a disorganized head spot in the first overhead pic. I see a contained one, especially in the first photo. If I saw the first close up of its back only, I'd have said pullet. Pullets seem to get that thin white band across near the end of the wing every time as their first actual barring. The head spot is a pullet's.

Now, the one pic from the front makes the down color seem much lighter, but is that a trick of your lighting, the flash, or is the chick actually really dark like the smaller chick or is it silvery-looking?

The photographs make it look like two different chicks from the first close up of its back to the pic taken head-on. You are there in person. How does this chick's overall color compare to the other, smaller chick? Same, really black color or silvery/faded black?

The simple truth is that sexing BRs is more an art than a science. A chick can have one female trait and one male trait, making it confusing until it feathers in completely. I've had BR pullets with much larger and more scattered head spots and much lighter coloring than that chick has. They don't always follow the rules.


Case in point, below, both were pullets:

 

[Fred's Hens]

Speckledhen is right. It is a combination of art and science and experience. The birds don't always know the "rules", such as leg wash. Ha!! Lots of cockerels come with leg wash. Even some pullets break the "rules" by feathering in bright and sprout combs and wattles far too soon; for the "rules".

I'll say this much. Wait until 6 weeks. 95% of the time? Dead easy. That 5% will always sneak up on you though.

Next, try sexing 4 week old heritage Barred Rocks. That's really interesting.

 

[speckledhen]

Speckledhen is right. It is a combination of art and science and experience. The birds don't always know the "rules", such as leg wash. Ha!! Lots of cockerels come with leg wash. Even some pullets break the "rules" by feathering in bright and sprout combs and wattles far too soon; for the "rules".

I'll say this much. Wait until 6 weeks. 95% of the time? Dead easy. That 5% will always sneak up on you though.

Next, try sexing 4 week old heritage Barred Rocks. That's really interesting.

Interesting? You mean exasperating! LOL! They don't follow any rules whatsoever!



This is a two week old brother and sister pair I used to own--see what I mean about a single bar across the end of the wing on the pullet sitting on the sawhorse? The brother is on the left, of course:

 

[Fred's Hens]

Eight weeks old, barely have feathers, leggy, goofy looking little dinosaur bodies.

But wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

BTW, yes, I can sex them this week. Finally.