Roo or hen?

[frizzlemama]

Hi all, we are new to raising chickens. We got our girls in May, and one is especially large compared to the others. "She" has also started honking (like a goose) and is a bit more aggressive than the others. I am thinking it may be a rooster. Can you help me?

 

[GitaBooks]

She appears to be a hen right now. When in May did you get them? A few weeks can make a difference in telling males from females.

 

[QueenMisha]

You got them as chicks in May? So they would be around 12 weeks, then?

Comb/wattle looks roo-ish, but not impossibly large for a hen. However I see some very sharp feathers growing out there, and if that's not just a trick of the lighting, then yes you have a boy.

 

[frizzlemama]

Yes they are about twelve weeks. No crowing (yet). "She" is so big compared to the other girls. We aren't allowed to have roosters Should I check with local farms or Craigslist to rehome? I have never done this before!

 

[QueenMisha]

Yes they are about twelve weeks. No crowing (yet). "She" is so big compared to the other girls. We aren't allowed to have roosters

Should I check with local farms or Craigslist to rehome? I have never done this before!

Got any more pictures? Better be sure it's a cockerel before we jump the gun and rehome him. One of him/her standing up would be helpful.

To answer your question, yes, craigslist is a good place, and there's also the B/S/T forum here on BYC. On craigslist, you should specify he is a pet rooster. Doesn't guarantee someone won't lie and pick him up for meat, but most people will back off if it's made clear he is a pet animal.

FYI, there are a few outlandish options for keeping city roosters quiet. They have varying levels of effectiveness. They include no-crow collars, decrowing, and caponization. No-crow collars are the easiest, but also the least effective - they do not stop crowing, but simply reduce volume. Decrowing I have heard works wonders, there is a vet in Oklahoma who is known to do it, but it's not cheap. Caponization (surgical castration) is an option, but you'd need to find someone experienced near you to perform it, and since it is a major surgery, there are of course risks. Caponization is not usually so expensive since it is not done by a vet, but by a home practitioner who knows the art.

 

[frizzlemama]

Wow, I have never heard of decrowing! I would rather place him in a good home if it came to that. We do have a couple cities (farming communities) that allow roosters in our county, so maybe a farm would take him. I can try to snap some pictures today. Most of the ones I have, he is being held here is one taken a month ago. "He" is the frizzle standing to the far right.

 

[billyboy123]

I have a 7-8 week old pullet/rooster. It's a Rhode Island Red. Any ideas about what the sex is?

 

[QueenMisha]

Wow, I have never heard of decrowing! I would rather place him in a good home if it came to that. We do have a couple cities (farming communities) that allow roosters in our county, so maybe a farm would take him. I can try to snap some pictures today. Most of the ones I have, he is being held

here is one taken a month ago. "He" is the frizzle standing to the far right.

Decrowing is actually a good solution, just a rare one. It's not cruel - the roosters still posture, crow, and exhibit normal behaviors, they just produce a very soft noise instead of a true crow. But it's not everybody's cup of tea.

He's frizzled! That explains the strange feathering. I'm used to seeing frizzles with more curl, so I didn't recognize it at first.

You know, he may not necessarily be a rooster. Stance, and the comb/wattles being on a 12 week banty like that would suggest it, but these guys aren't easy to sex, due to their feathering. I'd wait until he crows (or lays an egg, in any case).

 

[QueenMisha]

I have a 7-8 week old pullet/rooster. It's a Rhode Island Red. Any ideas about what the sex is?

For future reference, the correct place for this is on it's own thread.

To answer the question, it looks like a pullet to me. Rhode Island cockerels grow big combs. But I'd need to see the whole body to be sure.

 

[nhealy]

Easter egger born April 5th. Roo or hen? Has been acting aggressive the past few days towards my RIR