Sapphire Olive Egger - roo or hen?

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

I have a mixed flock of 17 week old pullets. A welbar has turned out to be roo which was obvious almost right away. However, my keen 6 year old pointed out that 1 sapphire olive egger is so much bigger and darker than the other and he thinks it might be a rooster!

Now, he has me thinking. Is it possible at this later age for the obvious differences to still be emerging while the welbars were so clear early on? I spent some time yesterday paying close attention to behavior and I noticed it stands up erect and alert more often while the others peck around. And while my other roos were having their "boys' club" sunning session it was hanging out with them while the other hens were not. I also noticed there is a tiny extra waddle by the earlobe that the other SOE does not have and its tail is rooish. Enjoy the photos and let me know what you think!

 

[WingItRanch]

At 17 weeks old, she's definitely a pullet. She's beautiful. That's a normal earlobe.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

At 17 weeks old, she's definitely a pullet. She's beautiful. That's a normal earlobe.

Agree!!

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

The bird in question is Blue (feather color) which can vary in shades.
So being darker than the other blue bird doesn't mean much.

The tail- since it's just one feather, I'm thinking it's just a fluke. Sometimes a pullet/hen will just grow a weird tail. I occasionally see it with black sex-links.

Welbars are supposed to be auto-sexing (as soon as they hatch, you can tell male from female based on how they look) so not sure how that happened.

Oh, and the earlobe. One of my pullets had a massive earlobe. Some birds just have small ones, and some just grow large lobes that look like extra wattles

 

[talkinboutchickens]

The bird in question is Blue (feather color) which can vary in shades.
So being darker than the other blue bird doesn't mean much.

The tail- since it's just one feather, I'm thinking it's just a fluke. Sometimes a pullet/hen will just grow a weird tail. I occasionally see it with black sex-links.

Welbars are supposed to be auto-sexing (as soon as they hatch, you can tell male from female based on how they look) so not sure how that happened.

Oh, and the earlobe. One of my pullets had a massive earlobe. Some birds just have small ones, and some just grow large lobes that look like extra wattles

This was one of my hen's earlobes.

They are the huge red flags behind her wattles lol. Yes- earlobes do not help determine the sex of a chicken like the comb and wattles do.

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

The bird in question is Blue (feather color) which can vary in shades.
So being darker than the other blue bird doesn't mean much.

The tail- since it's just one feather, I'm thinking it's just a fluke. Sometimes a pullet/hen will just grow a weird tail. I occasionally see it with black sex-links.

Welbars are supposed to be auto-sexing (as soon as they hatch, you can tell male from female based on how they look) so not sure how that happened.

Oh, and the earlobe. One of my pullets had a massive earlobe. Some birds just have small ones, and some just grow large lobes that look like extra wattles

What a relief! Thank you for the helpful answer. I love chickens - there's always something new to learn like the earlobe thing lol

 

[mermaid_of_the_farm]

This was one of my hen's earlobes. View attachment 4266323

They are the huge red flags behind her wattles lol. Yes- earlobes do not help determine the sex of a chicken like the comb and wattles do.

Oh my goodness! Today, I learned about earlobes! What a relief. Thank you!

 

[Not-so Slick Chicken]

This was one of my hen's earlobes. View attachment 4266323

They are the huge red flags behind her wattles lol. Yes- earlobes do not help determine the sex of a chicken like the comb and wattles do.

You have mine beat
My orpington (unfortunately has since passed) had very noticeable earlobes.
I, having spent my entire life around chickens, thought there was something wrong with her as I apparently have never noticed most things about chickens until I got my own.

Pics
(outdoors) they were about 4.5 months. Varying sizes of lobes
(In nests) two pullets 8 months old, very different earlobes