This or That? Isabrown Gender Edition

[Not-the-chickens-too]

Good morning all! My mom got a bunch of chickens and I've been driving every week to help her with the project. All of these chickens are supposed to be pullets (I guess they are now hens, I'm still learning), but one of the 2 ISABrowns looks suspicious to me. "She" is extremely assertive and very protective of the younger chickens in particular. I've read that the cone is not necessarily indicative of sex and that the ladies can also be aggressive when asserting themselves. Past that people say look at the feathers but I have no idea what I'm looking for here. Is it too early to tell? They were both Brown as babies and looked the same, and I believe they are both about 6 weeks old. I have attached pictures of both.

 

[sourland]

Bird in the first picture is a cockerel - most likely a production red not an ISA brown.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Your two ISA browns are not actually ISA browns. Where did you get them? They look more like production reds or hatchery Rhode Island Reds instead.

The one with the larger comb is a cockerel.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

They are pullets, and cockerels by the look of the comb on the first one.

 

[Not-the-chickens-too]

We got them from Tractor Supply. They were labeled ISA Brown pullets. We went back a couple times and they had a bunch of unlabeled chickens. Thank you for the two-fer on breed AND gender. We did get a "Rhode Island Red" as well, who looks very different ( and is also hard to get a picture of)

 

[Not-the-chickens-too]

Your two ISA browns are not actually ISA browns. Where did you get them? They look more like production reds or hatchery Rhode Island Reds instead.

The one with the larger comb is a cockerel.

Just out of curiosity, how do you know the breed? We are over here Googling and can't figure it out!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yeah, your Rhode Island Red is actually an ISA brown. Good ol TSC and their bin labeling! They're notorious for mix-ups like this.

They can be tricky to tell apart as chicks, but ISA brown pullets tend to be a much lighter reddish color, often with white stripes on their backs. Feathered in, they are primarily reddish with white accents in the neck, tail, and wing feathers. Rhode Island Reds, meanwhile, are that darker reddish color that you're seeing on your birds, and fully feathered will have black in their tail feathers rather than white.

 

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

Just out of curiosity, how do you know the breed? We are over here Googling and can't figure it out!

I think she just knowa them by heart! After you have had chickens for a long time, you get to know breeds.

 

[Not-the-chickens-too]

Yeah, your Rhode Island Red is actually an ISA brown. Good ol TSC and their bin labeling! They're notorious for mix-ups like this.

They can be tricky to tell apart as chicks, but ISA brown pullets tend to be a much lighter reddish color, often with white stripes on their backs. Feathered in, they are primarily reddish with white accents in the neck, tail, and wing feathers. Rhode Island Reds, meanwhile, are that darker reddish color that you're seeing on your birds, and fully feathered will have black in their tail feathers rather than white.

Ok, yes, that follows what we saw when they were chicks. My mom has better pictures - this was them a few days in, the two darker and the one almost as light as the amberlinks! Thank you!