White Crested Black Polish Roo or Hen?

[goosemama]

Haven't a photo to send but received two "exotic" chicks with my McMurray order in April. I figured they both would be roosters as they are the cheapest to give away free. The one turned out to be a Lakenvelder rooster - now almost 4 months old, very handsome and crowing and mating with the hens. The other was a white crested black polish - cute as can be and the same age but I haven't heard a peep out of him - not one crow! I've looked at photos on the computer and now I'm wondering if this is a hen? She/he is afraid of everyone - races out of the way of all the hens so is obviously bottom of the pecking order and reminds me of "Chicken Little". It has an arching tail and an upright carriage like a rooster but wouldn't a roo be crowing by now?

 

[ChickenboyNmom]

Our white crested black polish was crowing by 4 1/2 months. We have a pair. The head feathering is different on the hens and roosters. Do the feathers look like a tight perm or dreadlocks? dreadlocks then a rooster. Our rooster is outgoing - the hen is shy - can't see as well with her feathering. Our pair is over a year old now. Chickenboy plays tag with the rooster. Very nice rooster.


Chris

 

[swordgeek]

My WCBP started crowing when he was 12 weeks old. That's when we realized we had a rogue roo instead of all pullets out in our coop.

By then, he looked VERY much like a rooster, but we - being new to chickens - had no idea. Call me Cleopatra - I was the queen of Denial. When I showed pictures to our local 4-H poultry group leaders, they told me what a handsome boy I had... but I was showing them pictures of my OTHER pullets, never figuring Prince (then Princess) was the culprit. He was so skittish all the time, and not at all butch. I believe the breed is pretty skittish by nature, maybe because they can't see a darned thing under all those feathers? Incidentally, two years later and he's still pretty skittish, and one of my hens is at the top of the pecking order. (And she crows nowadays, too.)

Anyway, this is what he looked like at about 12-14 weeks. Note the long, skinny head feathers and saddle, and the tail definitely long and curving. If your bird looks anything like this (and at this age, it would be even more pronounced), you have a male. If the headgear is fluffy and more like a bouffant, it's a female. Good luck!

 

[Mahonri]

without a pick I can't tell you but the behavior says pullet.

 

[kipper]

I describe the pullet do like a pom pom. Our banty is the sweetest girl we have ever had.