McMurray Barred Rock, 11-weeks...gender?!?

[DustyDawgy]

Ok, here's a pic of one of our hatchery Barred Rocks. I have one Barred Rock female who's very dark feathered, with a low, yellowish, just bumpy comb. Then I have another for-sure male with a big red comb that is on his 3rd day crowing. So he's a shoe-in.
But what about this guy?!? A friend wants a Barred Rock Roo, and I'd love to give him one but not unless it's 100% a Roo.
Opinions??
Thanks in advance! This site has been a LIFE SAVER for the past 2 1/2 months!!

Your chicken kind of looks like my barred rock hen when she was young, so I'm guessing hen.

 

[sarahandbray]

I'll try to get side-by-side shots tomorrow with them. They're all the same age, same hatchery...thanks for all the help!! I love my Barred Rock Roo that's more developed and crowing the most, so he's the one I want to keep while I decide which Roos stay and which ones go. So far, I've successfully placed 9 Roos in good homes over the last few weeks and have even made enough to buy maybe 4 big bags of feed
Love how I rationalize selling these beloved Roos! Takes a LOT of leg work to make sure these guys aren't dinner! Phew--I'm not good at straight-run!!!

 

[sarahandbray]

(Already on the "save" list of Roos, I have a Delaware, Pioneer, Black Copper Maran, Lavender Orpington, and Welsummer. Will have about 25-30 hens, so I'm HOPING to keep three!!!
Maybe I'll get a "bachelor pad" coop for Christmas!)

 

[sarahandbray]

Ooh. Here's one from week 9.5 of the obvious boy:

 

[donrae]

This bird looks like a black sex link cockerel.

 

[sarahandbray]

This whole Black Sex Link cockerel kink is totally killing me!! I have 7 Barred Rock-ish looking chickens--all from the "surprise" mix at McMurray. So how is one to tell the difference between a Barred Rock Roo and a Black Sex Link Roo?? Others told me that some reddish/brown feathers will "leak" in as they get older--and I've been keeping an eye out for that--but nothing. Two have a blueish/green tint to a few feathers on their back, but people on the forum said I could probably chalk that up to hatchery-grade birds.

I don't want to sell/give away Roos that aren't the breed I advertised...don't want to look like I'm trying to scam anyone!! But I also don't want to give away hens, either!!

 

[kacklinghen]

on the back of his leg I see a bump growing that will most likely be his spur. At that age pullets don't have the bump

 

[sarahandbray]

Ooh...good to know! I'll triple check everything later...

 

[sarahandbray]

(I hate to beat a dead horse, but I am really working hard to place these birds locally in actual flocks so they won't get eaten--I've placed 8 or 9 Roos successfully in the past three weeks!
Finding Roos good homes is exhausting, but I just can't bring myself to eat them or give them to people who are going to eat them (right out of the gate, anyway...).
I want to be one of those people who is able to cull/process her own meat, but it's just not in me.
I'll just have to enjoy them as egg-layers and pets!
-Sarah

 

[kacklinghen]

(I hate to beat a dead horse, but I am really working hard to place these birds locally in actual flocks so they won't get eaten--I've placed 8 or 9 Roos successfully in the past three weeks!
Finding Roos good homes is exhausting, but I just can't bring myself to eat them or give them to people who are going to eat them (right out of the gate, anyway...).
I want to be one of those people who is able to cull/process her own meat, but it's just not in me.
I'll just have to enjoy them as egg-layers and pets!
-Sarah

I feel the same way, the economy has to be Really bad maybe for a whole year before I get to that point , even then I would have my husband do the dirty work and I would probably feel guilt then too.