Help sexing 4 week old class chick

[nashvillecitychick]

We have three chicks (jubilee orpington, salmon faverolle, and barred rock) from a local hatchery, and we feel pretty confident that they are all pullets as they all conform to what pullets of those breeds should look like. We also have a random fourth chick that was hatched in one of my kid's classrooms ("Class Chick" aka "Buddy"), and that we agreed to take as a birthday gift for our kid.

The school believed Class Chick to be a pullet based on attitude relative to others hatched, comparison of feet to others hatched, and very early tail feathers. Class Chick comes from a white egg fertilized on a rescue farm, and there is no way of knowing breed. Class Chick feathered earlier than any of our other chicks and seems to be growing faster than any of our other chicks.

However, seemingly overnight two nights ago, Class Chick went from absolutely no comb to a pretty large peachy comb. We cannot legally have a rooster, and the rescue farm will take Class Chick back if it is a roo. It will also devastate said kid who is extremely attached to Class Chick.

I know it is early still, and some breeds have larger combs. But I'd love thoughts and advice on what I'm dealing with here so I can make a prep plan for the kid (and also alert the rescue farm as early as possible). I've added a few early shots from school, pictures from two weeks old and pictures from today (4 weeks old).

Also, for fun, if you have ideas for what type of chick this is, we'd love to know that, too!

 

[LavenderDaFlerf]

That would be a cockerel

 

[nashvillecitychick]

That would be a cockerel

Thanks! I'm afraid of as much as my kid will be so sad. But also, I suppose, an interesting twist to school's chick science project!

 

[Ridgerunner]

At 4 weeks, with that comb, heavy legs, and upright posture that is a cockerel. If you look at the 2-week-old photo you can see a difference in the thickness of the legs.

How fast they feather out is due to genetics, not sex. Same with how fast the tail feathers grow - genetics, not sex. Growing faster could be breed related since you don't know the breed. Some breeds are bigger so they grow faster. If they were the same breed growing faster would be an indication it could be a boy.