Rooster? RSL?

[LAFreewayChickens]

Some friends were given a number of chicks which were supposedly pullets. A few have much more developed comb and wattles, and hackles that look like roosters to me. I'm guessing these are RSL roos:

 

[hdowden]

the pic isn't showing up for me...but rsl cockerels will be mainly white with red across their backs and on their wings

 

[HEChicken]

When you edit your post, choose the little icon that looks like a picture in a frame, and then select the picture on your computer. It will walk you through the steps to upload it.

RSL's are sexlinked birds so can be sexed at hatch based on their coloration. There shouldn't be any need to wait until they develop combs and/or crow to determine gender.

 

[ChickenExtreme]

Pic isn't showing, but it's true about what hdowden said.

 

[LAFreewayChickens]

Hopefully picture shows up now.

If I was certain they were RSLs, I would be certain it was a roo.

But I was originally thinking they could be Amber Stars, a RIR/WWhite leghorn cross with similar coloration to RSL males.

But the hackles say "rooster" to me.

 

[Fred's Hens]

A RSL cockerel, like most cockerels, will show himself quite early. By 6 weeks, they look like this guy.

What did your birds look like at 6-8 weeks, that's the question, as pullets don't normally get wattles or combs that early at all, while the cockerels tend to sprout them very, very early. This holds pretty true of all these layer strains.




You can see his hatch mates, being pullets, have no combs or wattles, but he does! LOL

 

[donrae]

Looks like you're right--rsl roo.

 

[LAFreewayChickens]

A RSL cockerel, like most cockerels, will show himself quite early. By 6 weeks, they look like this guy.

What did your birds look like at 6-8 weeks, that's the question, as pullets don't normally get wattles or combs that early at all, while the cockerels tend to sprout them very, very early. This holds pretty true of all these layer strains.

You can see his hatch mates, being pullets, have no combs or wattles, but he does! LOL

Unfortunately I didn't see him when he was 6-8 weeks.

Compared to RSL pullets in the same pen that I believe (but haven't been able to confirm) are the same age, the white ones have considerable more developed combs and wattles at present.

 

[BlueCamas]

Red sex-link cockerel.