HELP! New to chicks - White leghorn - Hen or Rooster?

[saikkia]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this community and just started raising my own baby chicks 3 weeks ago.

While my wife and I are excited with this new endeavor, I suspect one of my baby chicks (a white leghorn) is a rooster as he/she is already developing a comb. I read on this forum that it is more common for white leghorn to develop comb earlier but i'm still very concern. The other 2 chicks (Australorp and Americauna) don't have any comb development at all.

Can any experts in this community help me out? Our city will not allow a rooster and i can't afford to wait 6 months to find out one day when (he) starts to sing!

I am attaching a few pics here for reference, perhaps some experienced chicken owners can differentiate better?

 

[Messica]

All Leghorns develop combs. Unfortunately you're not going to be able to tell gender for several weeks yet (possibly even longer).

Rooster combs will eventually flop over, where hen combs will stay straight up. Both will be bright red and the flop doesn't happen until sexual maturity (as far as I'm aware).


Whether it crows or not will probably be your first indication.

 

[rebrascora]

Leghorns do develop very large fleshy combs, so it is not unusual for there to be a difference between them and Australorps and even more so with Ameraucana or Easter Eggers, which usually have neat little pea combs

@Messica With my leghorns it's the other way around.... the female comb flops and the male comb stays upright, but as you say, it's when they reach maturity that the flop happens.

That chick's comb is still very yellowy/peach coloured, so most likely a pullet, but if it starts to turn red in the next few weeks that will tip you off it is a cockerel. Pullets will not turn red until they are ready to lay. Usually by about 5 weeks I can tell my leghorn boys from girls with a good degree of certainty but I appreciate it is easier when you have both sexes of the same breed so that you can compare them.

 

[BYCforlife]

 

[rebrascora]

Oops, yes, sorry, welcome from me too!
I was so busy trying to answer your question, I forgot my manners

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under saikkia

Welcome!

So, so cute! I see you have posted on the Breed & Gender Forum so I will just wish you all the best.

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also pop in and say hello on your local thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you ‘Find your State’s thread.

If you would like to share more pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out