What am I?

[mrsp523]

I know this isnt the best picture, but maybe for the purpose it will be fine. I thought this was a hen, but then noticed "her" feathers starting looking like she was in fact a he. "she has a rose comb so I cant tell that way. No sign of spurs (yet "she is still young just 6 months old) But in the last month or so her feathers started getting shinny like a roo, and her tail feathers grew out in the way a roo's grow. She doesnt crow, gets along just fine with the other roo who is much smaller than her ~ the other one is a bantom roo. As you might be able to see, the other roo is next to her also facing backwards. Her Dad was a HUGE RIR, and Im guessing her Mom is a cross between a barred and RIR (she is solid black with a rose comb). I have heard of Roo's having Hen feathers ~ is it possible for a Hen to have Roo feathers? Im looking for another pic that I have while she is outside free ranging if another pic is neeed. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[my sunwolf]

Looks like a rooster to me, I see pointed shiny saddle feathers that are that orangey gold coming in.

 

[Chickengirl47]

That's definitely a cockerel. And pullets and hens have spurs to, some chickens hardly have any spurs. He's handsome!

 

[RockerHen]

He's 100% rooster.

 

[donrae]

Rooster. You can see the shiney hackle and saddle feathers, plus the gold coloring on the wing. The fact that he's young is why he's not crowing or challenging the other roosters yet, but it will happen when the hormones hit hard. Spurs aren't a good indicator of gender.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Definitely a rooster, sorry.

 

[mrsp523]

Yea ~ so this is what I thought. When I saw the feathering I thought "oh crap!" But I kept trying to think I was over thinking it ~haha. Well thanks for the comments. He is very handsome ~ lets hope he is passive like his dad and mom are. I had to rehome his dad because he was so big and was doing a number on my smaller hens. Finding a roo that is decent to his hens and the hands that feed him can be hard. Happy Holidays! Ho Ho Ho!

 

[Panth]

Also....if the father was a RIR...then the mother wasn't a barred anything, or this cockeral would also be barred. If the mother was a barred hen with a RIR father...you would get sex-link babies with the males black with a white dot on the head (barred) and the females pure black (with red hackle feathers later in life probably). Looks like the mother had a peacomb if that helps narrow it down. Very handsome cockeral!

 

[goldfinches]

Also....if the father was a RIR...then the mother wasn't a barred anything, or this cockeral would also be barred. If the mother was a barred hen with a RIR father...you would get sex-link babies with the males black with a white dot on the head (barred) and the females pure black (with red hackle feathers later in life probably). Looks like the mother had a peacomb if that helps narrow it down. Very handsome cockeral!

Yes. I think you have the wrong parents picked out for this guy

 

[mrsp523]

His mother is a sex link (she is solid black ~her parents were a RIR/BR) . This guys dad is the product of her (the sexlink) and a RIR which were not sure if he was a cross with a buff or another RIR or NHR. Now I am starting to confuse myself!! Does that make sense??

Which is why I get confused because we dont know where the heck the rose comb/pea comb came from. As we started with solid breeds ~ when the solid black one (sex link??) hatched we were dumbfounded until I looked it up and saw how the barred and RIR or NHR will make the black hens. But it was the comb that always threw us off. As we never had any with that type of comb. So when this guy came out witht the rose/pea comb I knew the black one had to be mom. I always wondered if maybe our RIR roo had a mix in it to cause that. I dont understand the X&Y's with the chemistry part.