Please help! Is this a hen?

[phhens]

Hi there-
I'm new to chicken keeping. We have 6 hens, but I'm afraid we may have 1 rooster. They are about 3 1/2 months old. She started crowing, but only randomly, maybe 4 times a day. When "she" does it very loud and I'm worried it's bothering our neighbors. Here's a picture if that helps....

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Pretty sure I see saddle feathers which means cockerel.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Hi there-
I'm new to chicken keeping. We have 6 hens, but I'm afraid we may have 1 rooster. They are about 3 1/2 months old. She started crowing, but only randomly, maybe 4 times a day. When "she" does it very loud and I'm worried it's bothering our neighbors. Here's a picture if that helps....

That is a cockerel - the red comb/wattles at this age was the first clue, as are the developing cape of male hackle feathers and male saddle feathering - the crowing is just icing on the cake.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Pretty sure I see saddle feathers which means cockerel.

To be fair, you'd "see saddle feathers" regardless of the gender - both males and females have saddle feathers, the difference is in the structure with only male birds developing those characteristic "Fabio" feathers where as the saddle and hackle feathers of females are rounded and close to the body like the feathers on the rest of her body.

 

[phhens]

Thank you all for prompt replies! I appreciate it SO much!!!! Very sad daughter now as "he" is leaving

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Quote:
I've always seen saddle and hackle feathers as an exclusively male labeled feature and pretty much everyone on this site discusses them that way. Yes, hens have feathers in those areas, but they're structured differently.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

The "hackle" and "saddle" feathers simply refers to the area of the body on which the feathering is located - which is why you will see references to birds showing "male saddle feathers" or "male hackle feathers"

 

[Ewe Mama]

I'm sorry your daughter is taking this hard. We get attached to these little creatures so easily, don't we? Do you have a place where you can take him?

Welcome to BYC, although I wish you had gotten the answer you had hoped for.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. You have a Golden Laced Wyandotte cockerel. ( Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in re-homing your cockerel.