Male or Female?

[ScottKelly1974]

This may sound like a stupid question and from me I should know. I had starter flock, lost most of them, but I was raising chicks from those chickens before the Lynx killed most of my adult chickens. As baby chicks, first week of age, I was able to tell the bays and girls apart.

Because of the Lynx, I have been going without any new eggs since October and have been using store bought eggs. The reason is the survivors all except one broody hen are five months or younger. Also, because of the Lynx I've decided to keep the chicks to replace the ones lost.

But now my "oldest" chicks are showing maturity. The five month old group were supposed to be all makes, but now I'm looking at some of them and I don't see the classic rooster tail. One is a rooster and he has made some crows. Their behavior says male but the broody hen did face off with some of them just like a rooster. This tells me that behavior alone is not going to tell me who's a male. So

Is there a way to determine the sex of the nearly mature chickens?

For the breed, I have Buff Orpingtons, one a Buff and Cinnamon cross (possibly female), Lavender orpington, and Ayam Cermani. However, I know one AC is a cockerel and the others are pullets.

 

[HuffleClaw]

That is a cockerel.

 

[HuffleClaw]

Here are some diagrams comparing the feathers that I think might help you out

Also, comb growth, and redness, especially at a young age usually means cockerel

 

[ScottKelly1974]

I agree with you on the comb and redness, however, in past years the hens matured at or just after five months of age. So for them now they all have red. Also my lead hen, being one of the mothers, had been mistaken for a rooster a few times because she did have a large comb and waddles compared to the other hens, but not as big as the rooster who fathered this group. Then another hen did have two center pointy tail feathers until she sheed them.

Thank you for the information.

 

[ScottKelly1974]

OK. I know the black one is a cockerel. I took those before I put the no crow collar on him. Those were the only recent pictures I had. I took new ones. The first picture is of the one that has rounded tail feathers. I think that is the cinnamon baby. This is the one that has me second guessing. The rest I'm sure of.

 

[keesmom]

Cockerel.

 

[Kale Chips]

The beautiful black bird in the first pictures is definitely a boy like you said, and then the big Orpington that is larger, darker, and has a redder comb is definitely a roo as well. The rest look to be nice hens

 

[sourland]

'Features' birds are both cockerels.

 

[SongBaby33]

Definitely rooster

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Cockerels