Pullet or cockerel (8 wk old)

[Nicole A.]

Hi,
I'm trying to figure out for sure which of my birds are pullets or cockerels. I posted pictures when they were 6 weeks old, but it was recommended that I check back. These are their 8 week pictures. The first four pictures are the ~8 week old red (RIR?). I think this one is a cockerel, but it would great if other people with more experience could tell me their opinion. The rest are pullets right?

We have a monthly chicken swap near me and they will take roosters, so I was going to take the RIR since I can't have roosters in my area.

 

[Kes]

Your RIR definitely looks like a cockerel from the lack of tail and the early presence wattles, sorry!

The others seem like girls so far. If the darkest one is a wyandotte or mix, it's normal for pullets to have a slight tint to their comb and wattles at this age.

 

[drumstick diva]

agree

 

[Nicole A.]

I'm hoping the the black (possible gold lace wyandotte) is a pullet so I hope Kes is right. Here is a close up picture of the RIR's tail and legs if that helps in sexing.

 

[Kes]

I'm hoping the the black (possible gold lace wyandotte) is a pullet so I hope Kes is right. Here is a close up picture of the RIR's tail and legs if that helps in sexing.

View attachment 1347467 View attachment 1347468

I've never had RIRs but if I'm not mistaken, I think black/darker feathers on the tail and wings at this point definitely points to cockerel. It would make sense that he'd be developing his adult coloring now.

My own wyandotte has had a bit of a blush to her comb and wattles for a couple of weeks now and every picture I've looked up suggests that's completely normal. They show color and development there really early compared to some breeds but cockerels display a lot more. I would be very surprised at this point if she ended up a he.

This blog was really helpful to me in comparing them:

http://thesimplefarmgirl.blogspot.com/

 

[Nicole A.]

I've never had RIRs but if I'm not mistaken, I think black/darker feathers on the tail and wings at this point definitely points to cockerel. It would make sense that he'd be developing his adult coloring now.

My own wyandotte has had a bit of a blush to her comb and wattles for a couple of weeks now and every picture I've looked up suggests that's completely normal. They show color and development there really early compared to some breeds but cockerels display a lot more. I would be very surprised at this point if she ended up a he.

This blog was really helpful to me in comparing them:

http://thesimplefarmgirl.blogspot.com/

Thanks for guess (and blog link)! I think I may need to wait a month or two more to be sure, especially since I'm not completely sure this is a RIR. These are my first chickens, so I guess it's just a learning process. I think I'm going to end up with 9 different kinds, since I couldn't make up my mind on just one.

I think the blue laced red wyandottes are really beautiful too, and I would love to have some but I've already ordered more than I meant to.