Pullets Gender? RIR, BA, & BO. [large pics]

[MakNugget]

I have 11 week (purchased as chicks, so more like 12) that I need some feedback on. I'm pretty sure the Buff Orpington is a hen, but the jury is out on the Black Australorp. Now we're starting to wonder if the RIR is a roo as well? When we got them as chicks, we guesstimaged them by size and development with RIR as the oldest then BA and BO. They're coop bound in a week and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the BO isn't going to be the only hen we're left with. I wanted to get better pics but they were not enjoying the flash too much.

Here they are at about 5 weeks. The BA has quite the tail which is why we think it may be a roo, but it's not always standing up.

Here they are taken last night at 11 weeks.

There's that tail again... lured with treats only to be flashed...

Back view of RIR

Couple more views of the RIR

Thoughts?

 

[muddyhorse]

the RIR is the only one I'm questioning, I'm pretty sure its a pullet but.....

 

[mxer]

At 11 weeks!!!! They all look like pullets to me.

 

[MakNugget]

I know better than to worry about these things this early in the game but I can't help myself, lol. I just have to sit tight for another 2 months until they bokawk me some eggs.

 

[gryeyes]

The only reason I am throwing my guess into the ring is because I have a BO, BA and RIR myself. But I think you've got pullets there. My RIR scared the heck out of me with some black tail feathers and a more prominent comb than other breeds at her age, but the breed standard SAYS both male and female have the black tail feathers. (Okay, so I scare easily.) I don't recall my BA flaring tail feathers like that, though. Hmmmmm.

 

[drsooseme2]

If those are 11 weeks than there is no way mine could be 11 weeks. (I've had doubts since I got them at "3 weeks") The one with the giant wattles has been silent. The one in the middle sang me something yesterday. Not at sunrise (thank goodness) but around 9am. It wasn't the typical movie cockadoodledoo but it was pretty loud. I'm positive it was the one in the middle because she did it several times while I was shushing her, telling her to be quiet.

Any ideas on age and gender?

 

[Happy Chooks]

All pullets.

 

[enggass]

I have to say, I have 3 RIR and at 7+ weeks they are as big if not slightly bigger than yours at...11 weeks?
Pullets I'd say though regardless of age...

 

[MakNugget]

Quote:
Right!? I need a better picture of it raised. My defense has been that maybe it's a breed characteristic and that we can't really compare the BA to the others, but some days I'm just not sure...

It's gotten to where I point out when the tail feathers are down, and if they go up I joke about needing more duct tape.

This is my first batch of chickens so I don't know if this behavior is hen/roo specific, but the BA is very attached to the RIR. All three like sticking together, but if I pull out the RIR and she's out of the BA's line of site, the chirping has a noticeable note of alarm to it. I don't notice it when I remove the BO. My defense is that they're really really really good friends... and people give me that *duh*

look.

 

[MakNugget]

Quote:
Looking at the pictures again and I'm thinking it might be due to the wide angle lens. They do seem smaller in the pics than they appear IRL. I was looking at them yesterday and I swear they grew overnight.