telling the difference between hens and roosters

[yorklady]

You can tell Welsummers upon hatch as they have what is refered to as eyeliner that extends way beyond the eye. The males have liner also but is not exagerrated. I have 5 little Wesummer pullets and they are adorable!

 

[dsq19]

I've come across this thread in Google search results, as I have a similar problem.

Being a total city slicker I purchased a chicken "starter pack" just short of three weeks ago. We received two Isabrown chicks, just a day or so old, with a brooder box and all the gear we need to get started. Obviously they were cute little balls of fluff when we got them, now three weeks on, one is double the size of the other and has much bigger tail and side (saddle?) feathers. I'm suspecting we may have a rooster on our hands. Can anyone tell me if my suspicions may be correct? Or is the difference in size a common thing among hens of same species and age?

 

[aoxa]

I've come across this thread in Google search results, as I have a similar problem.

Being a total city slicker I purchased a chicken "starter pack" just short of three weeks ago. We received two Isabrown chicks, just a day or so old, with a brooder box and all the gear we need to get started. Obviously they were cute little balls of fluff when we got them, now three weeks on, one is double the size of the other and has much bigger tail and side (saddle?) feathers. I'm suspecting we may have a rooster on our hands. Can anyone tell me if my suspicions may be correct? Or is the difference in size a common thing among hens of same species and age?

Size has nothing to do with gender at 3 weeks old.

At 3 weeks, it's really tough to tell. They don't get their rooster feathers until week 12 + but depending on breed, there are other signs prior. Comb size and colour being the earliest sign of a rooster. If you post some photos, we can give you a hand.

Isabrown.. Wait. Are you talking ISA Browns? LOL Sorry. Those would both be girls. They are sexable at hatch by colour.

 

[dsq19]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a few more weeks and see what develops.

I'm calling them "Isabrown" as that is how they are described on the website of the company we purchased then from. (Hence, my city slicker reference - other than a pet cat, I know nothing much about animals, especially farm animals!).

The website describes them like this: "The Isabrown is a cross breed between a Rhode Island Red and a white leghorn and is used around the western world for reliable egg production and for their excellent temperament with families. Their feathers are mainly red with splashes of white indispersed around the body and neck. "

 

[aoxa]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a few more weeks and see what develops.

I'm calling them "Isabrown" as that is how they are described on the website of the company we purchased then from. (Hence, my city slicker reference - other than a pet cat, I know nothing much about animals, especially farm animals!).

The website describes them like this: "The Isabrown is a cross breed between a Rhode Island Red and a white leghorn and is used around the western world for reliable egg production and for their excellent temperament with families. Their feathers are mainly red with splashes of white indispersed around the body and neck. "

Yep, those are both girls.




Here are some of mine at a few days old. They are sexable by colour. The boys they hatch are not alive long enough to make it to customers.



Mine are all grown up now and are my groupies. They love humans.


That white one there is a cross between the reds and another breed of rooster (barred plymouth rock). But the reds are all Red Sex Links (which are not isabrowns, but are very similar).

 

[dsq19]

This is great news. Thank you. You've made my daughter very happy! Living in the innercity we can't have roosters.

(The photo of your chick is exactly how ours looked when we got them.)

 

[dretd]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a few more weeks and see what develops.

I'm calling them "Isabrown" as that is how they are described on the website of the company we purchased then from. (Hence, my city slicker reference - other than a pet cat, I know nothing much about animals, especially farm animals!).

The website describes them like this: "The Isabrown is a cross breed between a Rhode Island Red and a white leghorn and is used around the western world for reliable egg production and for their excellent temperament with families. Their feathers are mainly red with splashes of white indispersed around the body and neck. "

I wanted to clarify about ISA Browns. They are a chicken originally developed by a French company and were listed as a cross between a RIR and a Rhode Island White. That company was bought by a Dutch company (Hendrix) in 2005 and mention of the specific breeds involved in their parentage has been stripped from their website: http://www.isapoultry.com/

Interestingly, information the hatchery has about White Leghorns being used as a Sexlink cross is wrong as they are a Dominant White and all the resulting chicks will be white thus not appropriate for use as a Sexlink parent. It looks like the hatchery lifted from or placed the information on Wikipedia as Wikipedia lists the same (wrong) information about ISA Browns and even lists feathersite and the ISA website as references, neither of which mention Leghorns. I suspect that the misinformation has come about because some commercial hatcheries raising fertile eggs use ISA Browns as the layers then put White Leghorns roos in with them because they can easily see the white roos amongst the brown hens and they are very light weight so they don't rip up the back of the hens like a heavier boy would.

 

[tami1024]

Being new to the chicken business I too bought baby chicks not wanting any roosters of course. One gentleman told me that if the bridge on the chickens nose is tall it is a rooster. I believe I have two marans that are roosters. Honestly I believe it is hard to tell until the crowing actually starts unless you buy them sexed already. And even that is'nt a guarantee.

 

[hapafob]

13 weeks old...hen or rooster?

 

[donrae]

13 weeks old...hen or rooster?

Your bird is a rooster.