Worried about one of my "pullets" ... Still early, will be four weeks on Thursday.

[MisfitMarie]

What breed is your chicken?

They're all four-week old EE's. Bought at a feed store as "Ameraucana / Olive Egger " ...

 

[islandgirl82]

You two have shared my thoughts exactly... It will be a bit of a bummer, because he/she is my FAVORITE, such an affectionate and distinct personality. Even its voice is distinctly different from the other cheepers. I will try to stay positive and will have to post again in two weeks. The major red flag for me was the wattle coming in and the comb. No other chickie in my bunch has the sign of a wattle yet, and their combs are much smaller. The coloring of Tink's comb and wattle is also slightly darker, and the legs larger...etc etc etc. You all know the drill. ... I'll know for sure in a couple more weeks. Then, I am going to first try to rehome my sweet olive-egger rooster... =( Worst case scenario... dinner. =/

I take it you can't have roosters where you are...

If that's the case, for your sake and the chick's, I hope it's just a more masculine female. Where did you get it? If you were guaranteed all pullets and this one turns out to be a cockerel, whomever sold it to you should either be replacing him or refunding your money. I know that doesn't make up for the bond though.

 

[islandgirl82]

Sorry...just saw you got them at a feed store. I've never gotten chicks from one so I'm not sure if they guarantee gender or not.

 

[MisfitMarie]

I take it you can't have roosters where you are...

If that's the case, for your sake and the chick's, I hope it's just a more masculine female. Where did you get it? If you were guaranteed all pullets and this one turns out to be a cockerel, whomever sold it to you should either be replacing him or refunding your money. I know that doesn't make up for the bond though.

Yeah, unfortunately, I can't have roosters here. Technically, I think I can, because I am just out of city limits... but this is a tight suburban neighborhood, and I'm sure it wouldn't work out. =( There's no limit on hens, though, surprisingly... but decided when I got them to allow myself to choose TWO chicks to get attached to. Tinkerbell was one of them. So yeah, it's a bit of a bummer. I just hope that if it DOES turn out to be a rooster, I can find it a new home.

 

[MMSChickens]

They're all four-week old EE's. Bought at a feed store as "Ameraucana / Olive Egger

I'm no expert on chickens but it looks like a rooster. Sorry

. There's still hope that it's a pullet though, you can't ever for sure tell at that age.

 

[islandgirl82]

Yeah, unfortunately, I can't have roosters here. Technically, I think I can, because I am just out of city limits... but this is a tight suburban neighborhood, and I'm sure it wouldn't work out. =( There's no limit on hens, though, surprisingly... but decided when I got them to allow myself to choose TWO chicks to get attached to. Tinkerbell was one of them. So yeah, it's a bit of a bummer. I just hope that if it DOES turn out to be a rooster, I can find it a new home.

Check out your local ordinances before making any drastic moves. You'll have time while you're waiting for a definitive answer on gender. If you're allowed to have them in your area, then legally you wouldn't have to rehome him.

 

[MisfitMarie]

Check out your local ordinances before making any drastic moves. You'll have time while you're waiting for a definitive answer on gender. If you're allowed to have them in your area, then legally you wouldn't have to rehome him.

"Chickens and roosters are allowed in unincorporated Clark County. Chickens, but not roosters, are allowed in the city of Vancouver." There's no limit where I live, as long as there isn't excessive smell or noise complaints.

I'm not sure what "unincorporated Clark County" means. I'm located North, in an area considered Hazel Dell... outside of city limits, but still considered Vancouver. It does give me some hope, though. But I would also be sad if I were the hated neighbor in the neighborhood because people were annoyed by the crowing.

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm going with pullet for now.

 

[JensChickies]

I have a white rock hen, that I thought when she was little was a rooster. She was all those traits you described. She still might be a pullet, give her time.

 

[islandgirl82]

I have a cockerel now and have made sure all my neighbors know he's here and I have asked them to please let me know if he's bothering them (I'm not bonded with him at all so I'm pretty indifferent to whether he stays or not) . I've also planted things like Mock Orange, Lilacs, Silver Lace Vine and other fragrant plants along the coop and run as a buffer for sight, sound and what little odor they have as I feed Fermented Feed and that has drastically reduced any smell and sheer volume of droppings. So far so good. He's just started crowing but he doesn't do it very often; going days without making a sound and when he does do it, his voice is rather quiet and his crows are short but most of the time he sounds like a hen singing the laying song. Those who have heard him like it. I also share eggs with them so you may be able to win your neighbors over by sharing some of the goods. I hope you'll be able to keep it no matter what it turns out to be.