Please Help Determine the Fate of this Rhode Island Red... Hen or Roo?

[OpenHands]

Hi everyone. I am a first time chicken owner, live in an urban area with very few resources around, so I really appreciate any help you all can offer.

Meet Ginger.

Ginger is a 5 month old Rhode Island Red. This week Ginger has started crowing- first at 7:30 in the morning, then getting progressively earlier until today she started up at just after 5, still dark out. The sound is loud and very much a crow. Wish I could publish a sound file and let you hear it! Beautiful sound but our neighbors are starting to worry.

Thing is, Ginger has no spurs, hasn't made much noise until now. Hasn't displayed any aggressive behavior or mounted the other two (Ameracuanas)

I've read that it could just be pre-laying behavior- none of the chickens have laid eggs yet.

But my oh my, the crowing is loud and persistant. Usually settles down by mid-day.

Please check out these photos and let me know what you think, or any other advice about how to quiet them down. If you want a photo of any other part of the chicken let me know!

Many thanks!

Christine

 

[the1much]

its a roo.

 

[hatchaholic]

Sorry, but Ginger is a "he".

 

[The Chicken Lady]

You can tell it's a rooster by looking at the hackle and tail feathers. A RIR roo will have pointed tips on the hackle feathers. You can also see the start of saddle feathers growing. Beautiful bird!

 

[asher]

Better change it's name to George! Definitely roo!

 

[Feathered Wings]

Looks kind of rooish to me too.

 

[OpenHands]

Even with no spurs?

(insert hopeful whimper here)

Do others concur?

 

[arllcountrygirl]

ROO

 

[Bec]

That is a handsome fella! The spurs will come later....he sure is a pretty boy!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Aw, poor Ging...er...George.