Unintentional Hatchery Surprise?

[Marten]

I have a 10-week old Blackrock hen that I am 99.99% sure is, in fact, not a Blackrock hen. "She" is from one of the larger hatcheries in Ireland. However, I wanted to get confirmation on that last .01% before I email the hatchery. Copper Marans rooster, maybe? Or something else entirely?

And yes, there has been crowing for the last two weeks, which is picking up a lot in the last few days.

(Please excuse the tiny run... It was a stopgap measure and the bigger, permanent coop and run should be ready for them to move in this weekend!)

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

I have a 10-week old Blackrock hen that I am 99.99% sure is, in fact, not a Blackrock hen. "She" is from one of the larger hatcheries in Ireland. However, I wanted to get confirmation on that last .01% before I email the hatchery. Copper Marans rooster, maybe? Or something else entirely?

And yes, there has been crowing for the last two weeks, which is picking up a lot in the last few days.

(Please excuse the tiny run... It was a stopgap measure and the bigger, permanent coop and run should be ready for them to move in this weekend!)

Well, are you saying it's a rooster?

 

[Marten]

Well, are you saying it's a rooster?

I mean, I'm pretty certain? But I'm a terribly self-doubting person even with what should be obvious signs (like crowing at 8 weeks). I've been away from the chicken life for way too long, and I've never actually had blackrocks before, so I don't know how much variation there is in combs/coloring. I always learned to sex by comparing a batch of chicks side-by-side, so I'm just rubbish at looking at one single bird and sexing it unless it's completely fully-grown.

 

[Acre4Me]

Based on your pic, I think male.

Very large red comb and wattles for 10 weeks. Plus appears to be thin, pointy hackle feathers and can’t really see saddle that well, but I’m not seeing the typically all rounded saddle feathers of a female. Do you see any pointy saddle feathers? They don’t normally show up until around 12 weeks.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

I have a 10-week old Blackrock hen that I am 99.99% sure is, in fact, not a Blackrock hen. "She" is from one of the larger hatcheries in Ireland. However, I wanted to get confirmation on that last .01% before I email the hatchery. Copper Marans rooster, maybe? Or something else entirely?

And yes, there has been crowing for the last two weeks, which is picking up a lot in the last few days.

(Please excuse the tiny run... It was a stopgap measure and the bigger, permanent coop and run should be ready for them to move in this weekend!)

I'm not sure about breed (I've never heard of a blackrock) but the bird pictured is male

 

[Marten]

I'm not sure about breed (I've never heard of a blackrock) but the bird pictured is male

Thank you very much! I think it's an Irish/European hybrid (I'm from the States originally and had never heard of it before), but it's an autosexing/sex-linked cross with barred male chicks.

I really appreciate it.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thank you very much! I think it's an Irish/European hybrid (I'm from the States originally and had never heard of it before), but it's an autosexing/sex-linked cross with barred male chicks.

I really appreciate it.

If it is a sexlink bird producing barred sons, then this one must be female. Sexlink girls tend to become very mature looking very quickly

 

[Marten]

Based on your pic, I think male.

Very large red comb and wattles for 10 weeks. Plus appears to be thin, pointy hackle feathers and can’t really see saddle that well, but I’m not seeing the typically all rounded saddle feathers of a female. Do you see any pointy saddle feathers? They don’t normally show up until around 12 weeks.

No major pointy saddle feathers, no, but a few that are a bit suspicious... I'll keep a closer eye on that, but I'm feeling reassured he's a he anyways! Thank you so much.

 

[Marten]

If it is a sexlink bird producing barred sons, then this one must be female. Sexlink girls tend to become very mature looking very quickly

That was my confusion as well and why I kept thinking that there was no way. The bird is from a hatchery, is there any chance that there's been a mixup with a different breed? Because they are crowing, and while I've had crowing hens when I was a kid, I never remember them crowing that early--but if they're reaching maturity earlier, then it could be that any crowing hens would start earlier as well?

I have 2 pullets that were purchased in the same "batch" as this bird, one amber sexlink and one cuckoo marans, and they are both decidedly smaller than this one, if that makes a difference.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That was my confusion as well and why I kept thinking that there was no way. The bird is from a hatchery, is there any chance that there's been a mixup with a different breed? Because they are crowing, and while I've had crowing hens when I was a kid, I never remember them crowing that early--but if they're reaching maturity earlier, then it could be that any crowing hens would start earlier as well?

I have 2 pullets that were purchased in the same "batch" as this bird, one amber sexlink and one cuckoo marans, and they are both decidedly smaller than this one, if that makes a difference.

It's very possible. It looks like my Asian black boy, but I'm not sure what breeds your hatchery has.