RIR experts.....pullet or roo? *Pics*

[ZooMummzy]

Three weeks ago in this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=64642, at the age of 16 weeks, the verdict was Emmeline was a pullet but I thought I'd ask one more time to try and ease my mind. Her wattle and combs have really grown in a month but still no crowing or eggs. Are RIR's like BO's and very slow developing, pullets and roos?

Her hackle feathers seem as rounded as my other RIR's and I don't see any saddle feathers at all - but I've always had trouble seeing them even in pics. Basically, all my RIR's look the same feather wise, everywhere - shape, color and shininess. There hasn't been any crowing, it's a very wimpy chicken and smaller than my other hens and definitely does not have any sexual interest in the hens whatsoever. She isn't even the "head of the flock". I would think by this age a roo would be intersted in the ladies? My 6 week old EE roo sure was! Her legs are even thin, the same size as my other pullets, and no spurs. She just has the same size bumps all my other chickens have on their legs.

I'm just completely baffled because of the no crowing and no eggs, the two sure signs of sex I've been patiently waiting to experience. My EE roo crowed at 8 weeks, so I knew. My other chickens are pullets, I'm sure....am I missing something when I look at Emmeline? If I am, can someone please help me? Maybe someone has pics of a 19/20 week RIR roo and hen so I can compare???

I've included lots of pics so you can see how she really looks like the others body wise, just not comb and wattle wise.

This is Emmeline today, at almost 20 weeks.

My 3 RIR's together....2 of them are 19/20 weeks and the other one is 16 weeks.

Rump shot of the 3 RIRs (that is Emmeline on the right)

Leg shot of Emmeline

Kissing Annette, my RIR that was attacked by my dogs on the 4th

All my girls together

 

[BantyHugger]

I'm no expert but by the size of her comb and the way her feet look larger than Annette's, I'd say she was a roo. My ADULT RIR hens have large combs like that. We had a RIR roo and his comb out grew the hens like that. He was gentle and never crowed until we accidentally got another roo. Maybe (s)he just has over active hormones.

 

[Chickndaddy]

I say it is a pullet. You can clearly see in the photo below that Ret's legs are much thicker than Scarlet's. Your Emmeline's legs are the same size as Annette and the other RIR pullet. She just looks older, so maybe she is a little more developed. At almost 20 weeks she would stand much taller, have the pointy hackle and saddle feathers, and you would be starting to see some sickles in the tail if it was a roo. And she would be crowing. I've been wrong before, but I still say pullet.

Edit to include photo...lol

Ret and Scarlet:

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
Thank you for the picture!

Yes, I see what you are saying about the legs and all my RIR's have the same size legs and they are dainty. She is very small too compared to the other hens, all the breeds. And I'm definitely not seeing the pointy feathers or the different colors like your roo has. Mine all are brownish red with a few black feathers.

I'm wondering now if the feed store was wrong about her age? I'm sure on the other chicken's ages because they were all 1 day old when I got them. I got Emmeline and Gertrude at the same time - they were just in this big tub with all the older chicks - the 3 weeks and older crowd. I really wanted RIR's so I took them and took the girl's word for how old they were. I'm also wondering if she wasn't a runt for her age as a chick thus why she is just smaller now?

Love the names too! Gone With the Wind is my favorite movie of all time

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
If she does turn out to be a he, I hope he's like yours and never crows! I'm not allowed to have roosters and I just hate having to find them new homes!

After seeing the last post and picture, I'm thinking she is much older than I was told but maybe a runt.

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Dang, I have a flock of 15 "RIR" pullets that turned out to be mostly gold sex links, and one (identified on this forum at 5 weeks as a"production red") looks exactly like your girl/boy. The rest of the birds have the small, pale combs and wattles like the other two in your photo, but the one "production red" could be your bird's twin. And the scary thing is that mine are just 10 weeks today....and another of my "pullets" is almost certainly a roo (crowing is a dead giveaway)....now, if your RIR is a roo, mine almost certainly is - and I didn't want any roos at all!!!

Boy, I hope the folks that voted yours as a pullet are right!

I just took some photos over the weekend. I'll have to get them onto the computer and post them. See what y'all think. Eeeeek! That's what I get for buying from a feed store. But still - I ordered RIRs and got gold sex links, I ordered all pullets and got at least one roo. What other surprises are in store?!?!?!

 

[Gindee77]

I think Emmaline looks like a pullet...thin legs, and she has a feminine look about her. When do roos get their saddle feathers? Emmaline doesn't appear to have any of those. You have a beautiful flock!

 

[Mahonri]

Well shucks... now she is looking more roo like, but I'm still guessing pullet.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
Dang, I have a flock of 15 "RIR" pullets that turned out to be mostly gold sex links, and one (identified on this forum at 5 weeks as a"production red") looks exactly like your girl/boy. The rest of the birds have the small, pale combs and wattles like the other two in your photo, but the one "production red" could be your bird's twin. And the scary thing is that mine are just 10 weeks today....and another of my "pullets" is almost certainly a roo (crowing is a dead giveaway)....now, if your RIR is a roo, mine almost certainly is - and I didn't want any roos at all!!!

Boy, I hope the folks that voted yours as a pullet are right!

I just took some photos over the weekend. I'll have to get them onto the computer and post them. See what y'all think. Eeeeek! That's what I get for buying from a feed store. But still - I ordered RIRs and got gold sex links, I ordered all pullets and got at least one roo. What other surprises are in store?!?!?!

I hope no more for either of us, but who knows???? I wonder if mine is a production red? How do you tell the difference? She looked just like my other two RIR's as a chick and they all look alike now but I wonder

The votes are still leaning towards pullet though so we might luck out. This is my first time with chickens so I really have no idea what to expect as they get older. I mostly just thought she was more developed than the other ones, but then I started worrying again. I guess my gut still says pullet because I would think at 20 weeks she'd be a bit more "randy" if she were a roo but instead, she just acts like one of the girls, lol.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
Thank you and I hope that everyone is right and she is just an older than I think or overactive hormonal pullet, lol. I don't know for sure, but I really would think by 20 weeks she would have more roo like feathers than she does. I think it's just her wattles and comb that scared me, especially when compared to the other RIR's.