roos or hens?

[pattym01]

I bought some eggs for a broody hen as I have no roos. they were all blue eggs. 5 of the 6 hatched. All the chicks have 5 toes. I was told they are 1/2 Ameracauna and 1/2 Dorking. They are almost 8 weeks old.









I have no idea how to determine if they are roos or hens - these are my first babies. Any ideas?

 

[sourland]

EE can be tough to sex, but it looks like two brown pullets and the other three are cockerels - assuming that there two of the black and white birds.

 

[wordgirl]

EE can be tough to sex, but it looks like two brown pullets and the other three are cockerels - assuming that there two of the black and white birds.

x2!

 

[pattym01]

thanks! There are 2 browns (they are the smallest), 1 blk and white, and 2 black/reds. So you think only the light browns are pullets?

 

[wordgirl]

I don't see a second black/red, but I think the browns are probably pullets, and the other two in the pictures are probably cockerels.

Very pretty birds!

 

[pattym01]

The 2 red/blks - not sure if that is the "official color combo" - but they sure are pretty - oops- handsome!

 

[wordgirl]

The one in the background looks like the one you have in your original post, and I think that one's a cockerel - both the comb and the shiny hackle (neck) feathers and the red back feathers look like a boy. The one in the foreground, I can't see its comb, but I'm not sure about gender from the coloring. The red on the shoulders make me think cockerel, but the neck looks a bit pullet-ish. I'd still lean cockerel. Does its comb look like the other black/red one?

 

[pattym01]

comb is close to the same. Can I go by size too? The 3 are just larger than the 2 light brown "hens". I hate to give away a hen by mistake as my 3 original girls are barely laying. "momma" stopped laying since she went broody - when will she start laying again. And my other 2 rarely lay - could it be "sympathy" hormones?

 

[wordgirl]

Cockerels do tend to be a bit bigger than pullets as they grow I think, but sometimes you could probably get a large hen, too. Are you able to get another picture of that last black/red one, and a picture of the comb?

I had a broody hen a couple years ago (now I don't have chickens, just ducks) and I'm sorry but I can't remember when she started laying again. I can tell you that one of my ducks who recently went broody didn't lay until about a week and a half after her ducklings hatched. It probably varies from hen to hen, but not sure what the "norm" is. And I think I have heard that having a broody hen can disrupt the other hens' laying for some reason - it may be some sort of hormones.

 

[donrae]

Your first pictures, the browns are pullets. That's a classic easter egger coloring for females.
Everyone else is a rooster. The black and white bird has too much comb for a female at this age, and those black and red birds are male coloring.