When will this Rooster look like a rooster!

[Indigosands]

More a rant than anything but my roo has been the slowest to feather in out of his whole group. From 1 week old he's had the most sparse, ratty tail and he was the most plain and unremarkable. I swore up and down to dh that getting rid of his (meaner) brother and keeping him was a good thing. "he will surprise us, like the ugly duckling I just know it!" I said.... I may eat those words. Here he sits still dragging around that tattered grey tail. When did your rooster get his pretty tail and markings in? My guy is a EE, about 12wks old if it matters. Here's the little stinker.. come on Fred, you can do it! BE the man! LOL

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chicks go through two molts before they get their final adult feathers. They just outgrow their feathers and need to replace them. I'd bet he is going through his second juvenile molt now. So when that is finished, maybe another two or three weeks, he will be in his final colors and pattern, or at least real close.

I don't pay that much attention to timing on it, but the tail, hackle, and shoulder feathers will continue to develop for several months. All of these will get a lot more noticable as he matures. That's why I said "real close" on the final colors. His appearance will change as those feathers grow.

You did not show a photo of his tail, which seems to be what you are worried about. You mentioned he is an EE. Some EE's don't have tails.

Ameraucanas and Araucanas were developed from EE's originally from Chile. Araucanas are "rumpless" which means they don't have tails. It's possible your EE rooster has some of the genes that were used to develop the Araucanas. You might look up photos of Araucanas to see if that is what he looks like.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I forgot to add. There is a specific gene that determines how fast a chicken will feather out. Call it the "fast or slow feather" gene. It's the gene they use to feather sex chicks at hatch. It is possible your rooster has the slow-feathering version of that while the pullets have the faster version. Posssible, not an absolute fact. But that would maybe explain why he has not feathered out as fast as the others.

If that is the case, no, you cannot use that gene to feather sex chicks from this rooster and the pullets. The genetics are not right.

 

[Indigosands]

Thanks Ridgerunner, I realized I didn't have a recent full body pic of him when I posted, I just had the one of the front of him. He's def. EE not Ameraucana - he was purchased from a local breeder and he does have a tail, albeit a scraggly one. Guess I'll have to cross everything he gets that lovely plume roosters are known for eventually. I just haven't seen another 12 week old on here quite as underdeveloped as he is.

 

[JakeBremer]

My Americana Rooster has his adult feathers, and he has never molted. He is almost 8 months old. My Avatar is my americana rooster.

 

[n8ivetxn]

My FM and Ameracauna roos took forever to get the "finished" look. At 4 months they were mostly there, but like Ridgerunner said, "tail, hackle and shoulder feathers" were the last to change, plus the Ameracaunas beard (from white to blue)....

People keep telling me my SF roos will be slow to feather, great....; - /

 

[Panth]

One of my EE cockerals finally started getting his tail feathers in at about week 13!