Rhode Island Red

[Eragon36]

when will my Rhode Island red roo start to act like one? I thought he was a hen till just a few minutes ago lol

 

[Flock Master64]

What do you mean? Like crowing and trying to impress the ladies and stuff?

 

[Pork Pie]

Crowing is only one step towards maturity. It may take him a few months before he begins to "act" like a cockerel. I've had cockerels crow at 2 months old, others its taken 6-7 months.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, what do you mean? Give us enough information to be able to answer the question. How old are they and what behavior did you see? What do you consider acting like a rooster? A photo of the chicken in question might even help. Sorry if I sound frustrated this morning but I just don’t know what you mean so I don’t know how to respond.

A female will sometimes mount another female, especially when there is not a dominant male in the flock. It’s an act of dominance, not just pure sex. Without knowing what behavior you are talking about I can’t even be sure it is a male.

If it is a cockerel they mature at different rates. I’ve had 12 week old cockerels to try to mount females, though that’s really early. I’ve had some 7 to 8 months old before they start even trying. Normal is probably somewhere around 4 to 5 months old but you can have extremes. I’ve had 5 month old cockerels take on the flock master duties like watching for predators, tid-bitting the hens, and keeping peace in his flock so well that even the mature hens respected him. I’ve had cockerels not win all the mature hens’ respect until they were almost 12 months old. 7 to 8 months old is probably average for mine but you can have extremes.

Welcome to the forum. I am glad you found us and hope we can help.

 

[Eragon36]

okay so my chicken hasnt started crowing yet and has not tryed to mount any of my hens. The chicken in question is 5 1/2 months old and there seems to be small pointy nubs coming in on here legs, i believe they are spurs. THe tail feathers are only black at the very tip not full or even half black like on a more mature rooster.

 

[Eragon36]

and thank you for welcoming me i love this website and cant wait to meet people and learn more about these incredible animals

 

[keesmom]

A picture would certainly help us determine gender for you. However if the bird in question is not crowing at this age it could very well be a pullet. Even females have a bump where spurs would be at this age. It is also not unheard of for hens to grow spurs. We have three 18 month old Buttercup hens, all currently laying, and all 3 have spurs.

 

[Eragon36]

I have heard of the hens growing spurs too. My barred rock caboose has little bumps where the spurs will grow in. I just read that a red sex link pullet at 5 months should be red, but mine is yellow white and it concerns me that she might be a roo or a different breed all toghether!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I butcher hens and pullets all the time and use the legs and feet when I make broth. I scald the feet so I can skin them, every hen and pullet has had a spur nub. It’s rare for a hen to grow much of a spur, though some do. But every one has those spur nubs.

Where did you get that red sex link, from a specific hatchery? They should have photos of what their adults look like, at least most do. You might look there.

A couple of photos could help us decide what it is. One needs to show the head so we can see the comb and wattles. The other should show legs, posture, and tail. At 5-1/2 months we should be able to tell sex. Yellow and white doesn’t sound right but I’d really like to see a photo.

 

[Eragon36]

okay i will get you guys a photo ASAP