Pullet or cock?

[Lynne7]

So, we got a barred plymouth rock from one of our local farm and feed stores almost 3 weeks ago now and she's supposed to be a pullet, but I'm starting to fear that she's not(we had gotten one from there 4 years ago that turned out to be a roo) I've taken a bunch of pictures of her from all different angles and tried googling them, but half the time the results don't even say she's a chicken.

Attached are pictures of her taken on 7/20/24

 

[Muser]

Hmmm, the comb has risen a little so that makes me suspicious, but I don't see any pink colouring in it, think it's a little early to tell. Give it a week and it will likely be more obvious. Maybe some Barred Rock experts can be of more assistance though.

 

[Lynne7]

She has a small bit of wattle poking out through her feathers too, but also no pink/red showing there either.

 

[Lynne7]

Pictures of her from just now. The Speckled Sussex is supposed to be the same age as the BR and the Silver Laced Wyandotte is a week younger(she was gotten from a hatchery)

 

[Lynne7]

I will try to get a picture of her little bit of wattle later

 

[FrostRanger]

I'd give it another few weeks, it's too early to tell

 

[Lynne7]

I'd give it another few weeks, it's too early to tell

For being a breed that it's supposed to be easy to tell, it's definitely hard lol thank you for your input.

 

[NatJ]

For being a breed that it's supposed to be easy to tell, it's definitely hard lol thank you for your input.

If that chick is a Barred Rock, it definitely looks like a pullet. A male would generally have more white (wider bars or more bars.)

The problem with that method of sexing: if the chick is actually a Black Sexlink, males have that much white and females have none. So a Black Sexlink with that much white is a male, while a Barred Rock with that much white is a female.

So if you are certain you have Barred Rocks, they are relatively easy to sex by color (for example, if you have a whole flock of Barred Rocks and no other breeds, and you incubate your own eggs.)

I do think you have a good chance of that chick being female. But given that stores sometimes have chicks and labels mixed up, and hatcheries sometimes substitute breeds without telling the customers what they did, I would wait at least a few more weeks to watch comb & wattle growth as a way to double-check it.

 

[Lynne7]

If that chick is a Barred Rock, it definitely looks like a pullet. A male would generally have more white (wider bars or more bars.)

The problem with that method of sexing: if the chick is actually a Black Sexlink, males have that much white and females have none. So a Black Sexlink with that much white is a male, while a Barred Rock with that much white is a female.

So if you are certain you have Barred Rocks, they are relatively easy to sex by color (for example, if you have a whole flock of Barred Rocks and no other breeds, and you incubate your own eggs.)

I do think you have a good chance of that chick being female. But given that stores sometimes have chicks and labels mixed up, and hatcheries sometimes substitute breeds without telling the customers what they did, I would wait at least a few more weeks to watch comb & wattle growth as a way to double-check it.

She is supposed to be a BR pullet, but 4 years ago we got what was supposed to be a BR pullet from the same place(local farm and feed store) and she turned out to be a he(we only had the one then and only have this one now) so I don't have another BR of the same age to compare her to.

With the one 4 years ago we also had a white crested black polish that also ended up being a roo, so we only know how two young roos act together and not how a young roo would act with all females.

This is the best I could get of her little wattle.

 

[NatJ]

She is supposed to be a BR pullet, but 4 years ago we got what was supposed to be a BR pullet from the same place(local farm and feed store) and she turned out to be a he(we only had the one then and only have this one now) so I don't have another BR of the same age to compare her to.

With the one 4 years ago we also had a white crested black polish that also ended up being a roo, so we only know how two young roos act together and not how a young roo would act with all females.

This is the best I could get of her little wattle.
View attachment 3907037

That does not look obviously "male" to me at the moment, but of course the next few weeks could change that.

Yes, it generally is easier to tell when you have several to compare with each other, but most chicks become obviously male or female within the first few months anyway.