Why does my pullet have hackle and saddle feathers?

[The Backyard Bantams]

Hi! So I have had a pullet Called poppy since she was eight weeks old or so. I was at the farm and the farmer guy was showing me how to sex a chicken off it’s laying bones. He showed me a hen (one of mine now) and then picked up poppy, a ‘Rooster’ to compare. As he picked her up and felt her laying bones he literally went “oh s***, that’s a hen. He thought that she was a rooster, because she had a more developed comb. She also had a very short tail.

So we took her home...

She’s always had a much larger and pinker comb Since she was six weeks or earlier. A month or two later she started to get some suspicious neck feathers. They kept growing and now they look like full blown hackle feathers. She looks like she has a mane when she stretches out her neck. For the first few weeks, she had almost no tail. Then it kept growing until it was really full. It definitely didn’t look like a roosters tail, no sickle feathers, and the feathers were really broad and rounded. I just noticed Recently that she’s starting to get some suspicious feathers on her back that look a lot like saddle feathers. They are quite skinny and pointy and Long. None of my other pullets have this. I’ve been feeling her laying bones the whole time, and they absolutely feel like a hens. They are wide enough apart for an egg to come through I think. Oh, and when she was still quite small she started to get waddles. They are quite big now. She weighs about 1.5 kg I think, she is some kind of spangled hamburg cross I think. The person we got them from said they were all bantams, but I think she is too big to be a bantam. I’ve heard of dominant hens starting to crow or mount as a dominance thing, but apparently if they start to grow rooster plumage it’s more permanent and they will stop laying and that they won’t be able to father chicks anyway. I don’t know if she just has wacky plumage and had an early comb or if it something like that. Has anyone seen anything similar? I would really appreciate it. I can’t keep her she crows, I am not allowed roosters where I live. I would have to take her back to the farm or rehome her. Oh, she is 26 or so weeks now, and no laying or crowing.

I will try to take some photos. It’s a bit hard to see though. This is her on the long drive home at about 7 weeks.

And her a bit older

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I've never heard of laying bones. Did he mean the hip/pubic bones? I don't think that's an accurate way to judge sex

 

[Painted Calls]

Can you get recent pics of her where it shows her whole body?

I'm thinking you have a cockerel.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I've had some awfully wide male's before, im.thinking if you were measuring the hip distances for sexing that you just found a wide male

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Yeah, that's a cockerel. The pubic bone width is apparently helpful in figuring out the best layers when they have been currently laying. It doesn't mean anything to my awareness when young and wouldn't be useful in sexing except for perhaps Silkies to find out who is laying. In most breeds you should know gender long before laying, so this method seems suspicious and is confirmed by this cockerel

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

Oh if it helps for some reason she has like basically no tail right now. She hasn’t lost them from being picked on, I haven’t seen her pulling them out, she just lost them. Hotel is growing back a bi oh if it helps for some reason she has like basically no tail right now. She hasn’t lost them from being picked on, I haven’t seen her pulling them out, she just lost them. Her tail is growing Back a bit. It looks weird, it doesn’t look like a roosters tail just looks weird and uneven and I’m seeing different colours and patterns on her tail that I’ve never seen on her before.

Here is here older again. You can start to see the hackle feathers coming up. (And waddles) Shes about 9 weeks here.

And older...

The hackle feathers are much clearer now but it’s a bad photo.

And another...this is her now...

You can see her hackle feathers clearer in this photo.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Yeah that comb is a male. Rose comb females are teeny and don't have bumps on them.

 

[Painted Calls]

Poppy is a cockerel.

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

Yeah, that's a cockerel. The pubic bone width is apparently helpful in figuring out the best layers when they have been currently laying. It doesn't mean anything to my awareness when young and wouldn't be useful in sexing except for perhaps Silkies to find out who is laying. In most breeds you should know gender long before laying, so this method seems suspicious and is confirmed by this cockerel

WOW YOU THINK SHE'S A HE?! They were different points where I was pretty sure she was a he, but overall I never REALLY thought it was true. But she’s 26 weeks, and not crowing.... her comb and waddles aren’t fully developed either... she doesn’t have any sickle feathers.... i’m not trying to prove you wrong, I’m just telling you why I thought she would be female. Interesting to note that the laying bone thing isn’t accurate. The guy I got her from is very experienced, he’s been raising poultry for 40 years... he’s not dodgy, I just think he’s not an expert on sexing since he doesn’t sell commercially.

 

[The Backyard Bantams]

Well I’m really surprised! But since she’s 26 weeks, and not growing, what should I do? I don’t want to give her away right away, especially since I’m not 100% sure… Should I wait until she’s crowing? Isn’t 26 weeks late for crowing and sickle development? I’ll have a talk to the breeder and see if she’ll take her back and if he thinks she’s a he.