Late Bloomer?

[KikiLeigh02]

I have 2 Black Australorp pullets, 1 Black Australrop mixed pullet, and 1 Black Australorp I think is a late blooming cockerel. The pullets are 11 weeks, and he is 10 weeks. He actually has less comb than the girls and it's still pale, but he's built like the two cockerels I re-homed. I have a home for him if he is a him, but we aren't in any rush. I just want to make sure I'm not imagining things and waiting for nothing. He's on the left/front in the first two photos, and he's the one standing tall on the right on the last. He feathered slowly, his legs still aren't fully black like the pullets, and he has a white wing feather or two like the other cockerels.

 

[sourland]

I think it may be a pullet - hope so.

 

[JedJackson]

That one looks like it might be a mix, too. Breast feathers appear to have some brown coloring. But it might just be something weird with the pictures.

It doesn't look like a cockerel to me. The black one on the far left of the last picture looks more like a cockerel. It's probably a pullet, but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on it.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I think it's either the lighting or dirt but I'm not 100% sure. She was really honest with me about the one, she pointed out the brown bleeding when I bought her, the funky head feathers are new though, that just developed in the last few weeks. I did ask her again about that one, she's thinking it may be a Cream Legbar x Australorp mix, I guess I'll find out when she lays an egg. Her adult Australorps actually looked really nice, but you never know what's hiding in the gene pool. I wouldn't rule out that he could be mixed. I know she has Lavender Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Easter Eggers, Barred Rocks, and Cream Legbars.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

I'll try to check his chest feathers when I get home. I've thought he was a cockerel since I bought him, but the other two I thought were cockerels developed really quickly and have been re-homed. He's just so pokey, you can see his face still isn't fully feathered.

 

[JedJackson]

I'll try to check his chest feathers when I get home. I've thought he was a cockerel since I bought him, but the other two I thought were cockerels developed really quickly and have been re-homed. He's just so pokey, you can see his face still isn't fully feathered.

Most times owners know better than us in here. Intuition and first hand observation are more valuable than online pictures. So if you feel that it is a cockerel, it might well be. Chickens can have odd and erratic development patterns, sometimes. I'd keep my mind open, though, and see how the bird develops.

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Thank you, I've been trying to keep an open mind. We really aren't in any hurry, I have a good home waiting if that one is a cockerel. The pullets have to get quite a bit bigger before I can integrate anyway, my others are large breeds and they can be pretty pushy. I set up the see but don't touch for them this weekend and then changed my mind. I have a couple pullets really close to laying and I don't want to upset them or my little mixed bantam rooster by putting a young cockerel out there.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

Pretty birds. I’ve had several hens that stood and behaved more like roosters. Good luck!

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

I have a couple Australorp chicks that are growing similarly as to yours. They have the splattering of white on their heads and still have some white wing feathers. Haven't fully lost them all. Being new to raising chickens and reading many, many articles on this website, I have thoroughly confused myself as to whether they are slow growing cockerels or still pullets. LOL It depends on the minute of the day sometimes. I got my chicks thru a store (so I'm assuming a hatchery) and was supposed to be 6 Australorp pullets. I can tell 2 are most definitely Black Jersey Giants because the bottom of their feet are yellow. So since that mix up, I am constantly questioning, well, are they pullets or aren't they? They are only 8 weeks old. None of them are obvious so I go back and forth debating in my head and I wait. I'm not in any hurry either way and if by chance one does turn out to be a male, we will keep him. We don't have any males and I kind of wish I would have ordered one so eh. Most likely they are all pullets but time will tell I guess. Good luck to you tho!
~Tammy

 

[KikiLeigh02]

Thank you! I bought 6 straight run (3 pullets, 2 cockerels, 1 mystery), so far my experience has been that the ones that have a white wing or tail feather have all been cockerels, but that could just be coincidence. Mine came from a breeder, but I'm not sure where her original stock came from. My Black Jersey Giants are about 28 weeks right now, they are gorgeous, and so docile.