RIR rooster??

This is a five month old Red rooster. (not very good breeding, more akin to hatchery stock) Notice the green tail feathers, and the nice saddle blanket of slick feather cascading down in front of his tail. Also notice he's head and shoulders taller than the pullets of the same age.





Here's a much better bred, true to standard RIR cockerel Notice the same cockerel features.




Here is a pullet tail.









Not curved or long green. Blunt tail feathers in the tent. Not something a cockerel has.
I guess I've just been blind, but this is the first time I've actually seen the saddle feathers. I never could understand what people were taking about. I still think the feathers on my chickens neck look like a rooster's, they look nothing like my other chicken's. They are thinner and pointy, but It doesn't seam to have those saddle feathers. Everyone here is always so helpful. I was afraid my brother was right and I had a rooster, when I thought she was getting ready to lay. :)
 
I guess I've just been blind, but this is the first time I've actually seen the saddle feathers. I never could understand what people were taking about. I still think the feathers on my chickens neck look like a rooster's, they look nothing like my other chicken's. They are thinner and pointy, but It doesn't seam to have those saddle feathers. Everyone here is always so helpful. I was afraid my brother was right and I had a rooster, when I thought she was getting ready to lay. :)


Yeah it takes a bit to get used to the terms lol ;) hackle, saddle, wattle, crop, weird words ha-ha :D

If you look real closely at the "hackles" , the ones on the neck, you can look at the tip of the individual feather. Sometimes they LOOK pointy, but actually are not because of the coloring if the feather... The very tip of the feather will either end in a drastic point, or look more like the edge of a spoon. If you put your finger right under the tip and compare, you can see the difference :)

I scrounged up a good example
feather-close-up-hen-vs-rooster.jpg
 
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Oh I am starting to despise this "smart" phone lol! Add to it that I've dropped it so many times the screen is all cracked, so I can't even read what I'm writing and have to go back and edit everything :p


I can usually sneak it in before anybody notices ha-ha ;)
 
Yeah it takes a bit to get used to the terms lol ;) hackle, saddle, wattle, crop, weird words ha-ha :D

If you look real closely at the "hackles" , the ones on the neck, you can look at the tip of the individual feather. Sometimes they LOOK pointy, but actually are not because of the coloring if the feather... The very tip of the feather will either end in a drastic point, or look more like the edge of a spoon. If you put your finger right under the tip and compare, you can see the difference :)

I scrounged up a good example
feather-close-up-hen-vs-rooster.jpg
I'm new and trying to learn all of this. Is this pic the hackles (neck feathers) ? If so, is the top pic a rooster and the bottom a hen?
 

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