When do they reach full size?

[jackiedon]

You don't realize how fast they are growing until you are away. We were gone about 9 days on vacation and could not believe how much our 16 week old barred rock had grown and also our 18 week old polish that I thought were full grown size.

jackie

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

Is there a way to tell the young roosters from the hens without getting too personal with them?

I have 4 little chickens about 6 weeks old, all from the same place, and all were the same size. They were also all marked Barred Rock pullets. The thing that has me wondering is one is bigger and scrappier than the rest. Three have tail feathers that come to a nice flat point. The big one's tail doesn't make a point. The feathers kinda stick straight out. I do not think it is feather pulling. This one little bird has the barn cats running scared! If I can get a picture uploaded, I will.

Pullets develop their feathers and tail feathers faster. My Australorp rooster was dead last to get any tail feathers. He literally had fuzz on his booty for 4-5 days when the young pullet chicks had theirs immediately at the 2 week mark and the girls tails feathers were 1.5" long by the end of the 2nd week. Also I noted that my little roo chick was WAY more assertive and the very first to explore or check out anything new. These behaviors were very obvious at the first week when I got them. He had male traits so look for those.. I did have 1 pullet chick that was very curious, but side by side their behaviors were not the same. Also I'm not sure what breed you have, but you can feather sext them its fairly easy. Feather sexting only works with some breeds though.. others are harder to tell and you have to go off their colors when they are months old like EEs. Australorps could not be easier... gently pull the wing out so its straight out like they will fly and tuck it back about 1/2 - 1 inch towards their body.. Boys have a very clear L shape to the wing, where girls feathers are all one length or very close to it not to say some are harder to tell then others! Good Luck!

 

[azygous]

Most folks in their first year with chickens aren't aware that even though a pullet and cockerel of four to six months are capable of reproduction, they still have another eighteen months of growth ahead of them.

By age ten weeks, a chick is getting close to being more of a "chicken" than a "chick". By sixteen weeks, their voice is beginning to change, and you will swear some ducks and geese have infiltrated the run. A pullet may begin to lay, and a cockerel may begin to crow and attempt to mount hens.

They are very close to full size by age six months. However, even smaller breeds still have growing to do, and they will continue to fill out, put on weight, and increase in size until age two.

If you want to project even farther out, a hen's body will gradually lower as she ages, going from long, visible legs at a year or two to having practically no legs showing by the time they reach age six. Roosters age a lot more gracefully, retaining their dashing good looks well into later years. Sound familiar?

You can tell the boy chicks from the girl chicks as early as three or four weeks by looking carefully at the color of the combs. The boys will show a lot of yellow on very visible combs while the girls will have barely visible combs of a washed out pink color. By age six weeks, the boys' combs are noticeably red with emerging wattles.

 

[Folly's place]

Some breeds grow until they are almost two years of age! Jersey Giants, for example. There are others, don't remember who. Mary