Pullet or Cockerel?

[Saris]

Thes are my 2 Marans, and I think this lovely chicken oogling itself in the mirror is a cockerel. It's comb is already turning pinkish and is more pronounced than my other Maran's comb.

This is Anise, her comb is still itty bitty.



Here they are together, what do you all think? Anise on the left and Isabella on the right. Is Isabella really an Irving?



They are only 2 and a half weeks old, and since this is my first go 'round with chickens of any kind I though I would seek expert advice. Should the comb be that big on a 2.5 week old pullet?

 

[Farrier]

I suspect that she is an Irving, sorry

 

[Hatching]

I say cockerel too. On some single comb birds you can start making educated guess quite early

 

[Saris]

Would the same comb difference suggest a cockerel in a Buff Orp as well?

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Marans telecast very early, so yes, that is Irving.

Buff Orps usually do not telecast as early, however if you have that much comb, turning pink, at 2 weeks of age on a BO, I would say that is a roo as well....but don't slam dunk it yet...I have had early developing BO's, but that is unusual.

Post a photo of the BO so we can see what you are seeing.

LofMc

 

[Hatching]

Would the same comb difference suggest a cockerel in a Buff Orp as well?

probably but not always. Both may turn out to be pullets as there is a level of variation between birds and some pullets just have bigger combs than others

 

[Saris]

Elli is the one in the middle that I am concerned about. Honestly I think it's funny if these 2 are roos because from day one I pegged them as being the 2 contenders for being Queen Bee. They were both large and in charge. I will be sad if Ellie is an Eric. I don't care for Irving too much, so I don't mind him being a rooster.

Marans telecast very early, so yes, that is Irving.

Buff Orps usually do not telecast as early, however if you have that much comb, turning pink, at 2 weeks of age on a BO, I would say that is a roo as well....but don't slam dunk it yet...I have had early developing BO's, but that is unusual.

Post a photo of the BO so we can see what you are seeing.

LofMc

 

[Lady of McCamley]

That's not enough comb to be worried about at this point....you can still call it Ellie.

Watch and wait...and don't worry if Ellie matures slightly faster than her flock mates...I had one earlier developing BO that worried me...she laid first too.

But if that really takes off, and gets really larger and redder, that will be a roo...but with BO's...the boys don't tend to comb bolt like the RIR's or Marans do...their combs linger more slowly, but their bodies tend to get bigger, and have an overall snottier attitude....then slowly you start to see the saddles and hackles...at last in my experience....it can be easy to confuse an early maturing female BO with an average growing male BO.


LofMc

 

[Saris]

That's not enough comb to be worried about at this point....you can still call it Ellie.

Watch and wait...and don't worry if Ellie matures slightly faster than her flock mates...I had one earlier developing BO that worried me...she laid first too.

But if that really takes off, and gets really larger and redder, that will be a roo...but with BO's...the boys don't tend to comb bolt like the RIR's or Marans do...their combs linger more slowly, but their bodies tend to get bigger, and have an overall snottier attitude....then slowly you start to see the saddles and hackles...at last in my experience....it can be easy to confuse an early maturing female BO with an average growing male BO.


LofMc

Thank you. I really hope that Ellie stays Ellie, my 2 year old (named Ellie) named her and that is her chicken. She can tell the difference between her chick and the other chicks too. She is bossy, but not mean, though she is one of the biggest chicks, she started out bigger too and she was one of the first to get her tail feathers in. *fingers crossed she is a girl

 

[BantamLover21]

I suspect that she is an Irving, sorry

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