Late maturing Welsummer cockerel?

[Airyaman]

Ugh. So I thought I had 5 pullets and 1 cockerel in one of my 15+ week old flocks: 2 Welsummers (F), 2 Barnevelders (F), 2 BCMs (M&F).

Now I think I have a late maturing cockerel. I say that because for most of its life, its comb and wattles were not very large and lighter colored. Now, over the last week or so the size of one of the birds comb and wattle starting growing quickly and darkening.

No crowing yet, but the BCM cockerel hasn't crowed either. And it hasn't shown a lick of male bravado around any birds either. The BCM will puff out his feathers at other cockerels inside of other runs, but the Welsummer has not shown any such behavior.

So now is also my chance to get some help identifying by feathers because my truly amateur self is clueless on that subject.

Here is my definite pullet:

And now my "mystery" Welsummer:

Thanks for your help!

 

[WingItRanch]

She's a pullet! She has female specific coloring.

 

[Jener8or]

They're both girls. Welsummer males have dark breasts.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Welsummer roosters look the guy on the Kellogg’s box. There would be a lot of black tail and body feathers if she were a he.

 

[Airyaman]

She's a pullet! She has female specific coloring.

They're both girls. Welsummer males have dark breasts.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, that the cockerels had a different coloring but I could not quite narrow that down based on images online. It's just weird that her comb and wattles starting changing rapidly over the last week or so. At 15+ weeks, not close to laying, so I was confused.

 

[Yardmom]

Her comb and wattles are growing as she gets closer to laying.

 

[Jener8or]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, that the cockerels had a different coloring but I could not quite narrow that down based on images online. It's just weird that her comb and wattles starting changing rapidly over the last week or so. At 15+ weeks, not close to laying, so I was confused.

They usually start to redden up about a month before they lay. She's probably a little fast maturing, but you should see some eggs soon.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

At 15+ weeks, not close to laying, so I was confused.

When are they supposed to start laying? I have a few the same age (not welsummers) that are starting to get pretty red so I figure I have about a month if that. I know every breed is different but I don’t put too much stock in the estimates any more. Mostly cause I’m too lazy to keep track of when they “should” and when they do.

 

[Airyaman]

Welsummer roosters look the guy on the Kellogg’s box. There would be a lot of black tail and body feathers if she were a he.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Welsummer roosters look the guy on the Kellogg’s box.

This guy?