Thanks for the feedback, melissastraka - they're sort of going through the "uglies" right now, but getting prettier all the time! I think I'm going to really like this breed!
Definitely a boy! See the black feathering coming in down his neck and breast?....The pullets will look barred down the front. I wanna see pics of the others. I'll bet you've got 5 girls and 1 boy. All I've hatched so far have been pullets, so this is the first boy I've seen.
Here are some group pics from that hatch. There are also some Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas, and some blue mutts and black mutts of my own (olive eggers), but you can see most of the others - there are six total Silver Penciled Rocks:
The assumed cockerel is the third from the right - his chest is actually not black, though, it's pure white! But, he's overall much darker, and is even feathering in...odder...than the rest. Just much more uneven looking:
In this picture, he's all the way to the left. Can you see how much darker and uneven in coloring he is compared to the girls, who are VERY even in coloring and much lighter?
In this picture, he's right in the middle. You can't see much more than his face, but you can sure see that big comb coming in!
You are one lucky lady! 5 girls and one boy. Nice start for you in Silver Penciled Rocks! The white on the boy's chest is just down, and the black coming in along the sides is what he will change over to. They really look nice. You've done a good job hatching and raising them. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
This is what your girls will look like in a couple months: