New to BYC - Need Feedback on my Barred Rock

[Sbfitzge]

Good morning! I wanted some experienced opinions on a barred rock chick we adopted that is starting to look like a rooster. We got 2 golden comets and 2 barred rocks. They are approximately 3-4 weeks old. There is a difference between the two barred rocks though. Dorothy(named given before gender suspicion) has slightly more white in his coloration, a shorter body with an upturned tail, thicker and lighter legs, and his comb is more pronounced and turning red as well as parts of his beak. On top of that, his demeanor is more standoffish. He doesn’t like being held as gentle as we try to be with him. He also frequently gets agitated with the other hens when they get excited for attention. He will hurry over and peck at them when they start to run around. I’m pretty sure it’s a male, but I wanted some feedback from others to confirm as we are first time chicken owners. I’m also going to attach a picture of our female - Sophia. It was hard to get them to hold still, so if you need an additional picture let me know and I’ll happily send more. Thanks for your help!

Side note - in case it isn’t clear as the photos got kind of jumbled, the top photo is the suspected male, second female, and last is another of the suspected male.

 

[Cyprus]

That is a cockerel.

 

[RodNTN]

The first and last picture look like cockerels, the second picture doesn't have a comb as pronounced as the other Barred Rock, though.

 

[Sbfitzge]

The first and last picture look like cockerels, the second picture doesn't have a comb as pronounced as the other Barred Rock, though.

Yeah, the middle is the one I’m sure is a female. I just added her for comparison. We’re just worried as we don’t know what to do with him. I’d hate to give him back as I’m sure he’ll just be killed. No one cares enough about chickens to find a new home. Even though the place we purchased him from said they’d try to find a place for him. I could tell they didn’t have a plan in place for when this happens.

 

[mortie]

Sadly, there just are not enough people wanting roosters to give all of them "good homes." It is an unfortunate fact of chicken life. Even folks who want or can have roosters still need only 1 rooster per 10 or so hens. Finding people who actually want them can be extremely difficult. It's not that people don't care, it's just that the demand for male chickens is EXTREMELY low. I think it's unreasonable to expect that all male chickens will be able to find a good home, no matter how much the folks who raised them from chicks loved them.

He'll be a lucky bird indeed if he finds a home where he will live a long life.

I'm not trying to sound harsh at all, it's just a reality that the majority of chicken owners have to face at one time or another.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

He's a cockerel. Sorry....
its easy to tell, even w/out the comb, because of the color difference between him and the pullet.

 

[Sbfitzge]

Sadly, there just are not enough people wanting roosters to give all of them "good homes." It is an unfortunate fact of chicken life. Even folks who want or can have roosters still need only 1 rooster per 10 or so hens. Finding people who actually want them can be extremely difficult. It's not that people don't care, it's just that the demand for male chickens is EXTREMELY low. I think it's unreasonable to expect that all male chickens will be able to find a good home, no matter how much the folks who raised them from chicks loved them.

He'll be a lucky bird indeed if he finds a home where he will live a long life.

I'm not trying to sound harsh at all, it's just a reality that the majority of chicken owners have to face at one time or another.

No, you’re completely right. I understand. I guess I moreso feel bad that we weren’t prepared for the situation, so we don’t know what to do. We’re thinking about keeping him. We just need to research it more. We’re building a coop, but he obviously can’t stay in the same place as the hens. It’s either that or return him, or find a new home for him ourselves.

 

[mortie]

Why can't he stay in the same coop/pen/whatever as the hens if you're going to keep him?

 

[Sbfitzge]

Why can't he stay in the same coop/pen/whatever as the hens if you're going to keep him?

Will he not try to mate with them? I thought that was the concern with inserting a male to a group of females.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Will he not try to mate with them? I thought that was the concern with inserting a male to a group of females.

it doesn't matter if he mates them, if your consuming the eggs.