Please tell me I got a Hen:( Otherwise see trade post that will follow...

[spikennipper]

Yes it looks very much like a little roo to me too, the red in the comb at such an early age is big give away the chick looking up at you in the first pic also looks like a boy, could you show us pics of the other two?

 

[mat2dong]

So, how old is she? And, would you say that the 3rd and 4th pictures show the feather colors truer, or would you say that the last picture is more true?
If the last picture is more true, I am still leaning toward pullet even though the comb appears more red than one might expect.

Umm, I would say she is 5-6 weeks. I would say the last photo is more true.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I just looked at a post by Speckled Hen showing a 5 wk old cockeral that had very distinctive waddles.

However, I would listen to Fred as well.

 

[mat2dong]

Yes it looks very much like a little roo to me too, the red in the comb at such an early age is big give away the chick looking up at you in the first pic also looks like a boy, could you show us pics of the other two?

Sure, if they will come to me

 

[mat2dong]

The hatchery/backyard breeder quality BR, in many cases, is a bit muddier in coloration and lacking distinctive, clean barring. They are almost cuckoo, rather than barred. This "messes up" the predictability of sexing sometimes. Leg wash too is not a 100% indicator either.

What cannot be messed with is the early red combs and red wattles on the cockerels and the yellow combs and no wattles on the pullets. Those are sex characteristics that are more reliable. If within another two weeks, your bird has a bright red comb and small red wattles, clearly formed, then you'll be well advised on it being a cockerel.

What are red wattles? I don't want to kill or give this bird away

 

[Fred's Hens]

Here are two photos. The first is 5 week old hatchery quality birds. Easy to see the difference, but that is because this hatchery strain just happened to be pretty good, as far as hatchery stock goes. The grew up to be respectable representation of the breed.



Here is that same pullet, lower left, at 9 weeks.



Here she is all grown up.

 

[NovaAman]

Wattles are the things that hang down from the "cheek" area near the beak.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Here are heritage bred, Barred Rocks at 12 weeks. Notice how slow they grow. They take almost twice as long to reach the growth bench marks. But, notice how distinctive and sharp the feathering and barring is. Quite remarkable, the difference.








What remains a constant? The combs and wattles.

 

[leadwolf1]

Fred, those birds are breathtaking

OP...sorry, that is a little roo..nothing says roo like a big, red comb on a little chick, regardless of coloration.

 

[DeannaOR]

Really pretty Fred!