What gender is he/she?

[asif]

90% female hen

 

[BlazeJester]

What do you see that says hen? I see upright posture, lots of shiny dark feathers, and sickle/hackles sprouting. I'm going with roo.

90% female hen

 

[Alexia]

Looks like a roo but does not act like one. He/she is at the very bottom of the pecking order. No fights with the other adult rooster I have. No crowing. So I don't know....

 

[Just Because]

The top one looks like a young cockerel, and the silkies, i wouldn't have a clue until they are a bit bigger.

Just a little fact I found out though that I thought i might share

It isn't uncommon for hens to look like roosters if they have had damage done to their ovaries. Usually happens in older birds; suddenly they stop laying and begin to develop more male like characteristics, especially their combs and tail feathers. It has also been recorded with young pullets, usually due to defects as they are developing. Not saying you have a cross dressing chook, but it is something interesting to think about.

 

[HEChicken]

Looks like a roo but does not act like one. He/she is at the very bottom of the pecking order. No fights with the other adult rooster I have. No crowing. So I don't know....

It is a common misconception that you can tell a young bird's gender by its "behavior", however it usually isn't the case. Many people think they have roos because they see birds chest bumping, not realizing that chest bumping is done by both gender to determine pecking order. And "aggressive" behavior is often thought to mean a roo, when in fact sometimes the hens are more aggressive and the roos are the "sweethearts" that people grow so fond of. A roo can often be low in the pecking order. At one point I had a roo who would back away from food or water at just a glance from my bantam sultan, even though he was four times her size!

Lack of fighting and crowing is probably age combined with his position in the pecking order - he does not yet have the confidence to compete with the dominant roo.