To be or not to HE?

[Dr. Chicken Who]

Howdy chicken friends! I have benefitted greatly from this forum as I am raising my first set of hens for fresh eggs. I have 6 total, 1 barred rock, 2 buff Orpington, 2 black australorp and 1 freebie from meyer hatchery which I believe is a golden buff. Early on, I lost an australorp from drowning in water dish and my family sweetly found a replacement at the nearest farm supply. Most are about 7 weeks old and the new one is about 3 weeks behind. This post is about the newest one. She (and I use the term loosely) has been very active, aggressive and confident from the beginning, which i thought was a good thing in the beginning. My girls welcomed her with open wings with no problems. Over the past week or so, it hit me that she is just different enough to possibly be a rooster. As you can see from the pics, she? has a larger comb already than the older aussie and it's bright pink compared to the pale yellow of the older one. Legs are thick and stocky, feathering is very different and she? is being very aggressive with the others, causing a lot of stress to the other girls. She is trying to show dominance but she's half the size of the others! Anyway, looking for a couple of things here... 1. Does she look like a rooster? 2. If she possibly IS a he, what should I do with him? Thank you in advance!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That is definitely a rooster, what are you looking to do with it?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

He's a cute cockerel.

I think if you give him some time he'll stop pestering the pullets so much.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

1. 'she' is deffinetly a rooster!
2. Depending on if you live in the city, would you want to keep the rooster or get rid of it? If you didn't want to keep it, you could either butcher him at home, witch is kinda a big deal, if you don't have a feather plucking machine. Or, you can put him on facebook or Craigslist. If you want him gone soon, I would offer him for free. If you are attached to him, they do sell no crow rooster collars, which I have never used, but people say that they work good to reduce noise! And I'm sure your hens would like to have a rooster! I think it makes them happier!
Good luck!

 

[Dr. Chicken Who]

Thanks for those confirmations. He was supposed to be a pullet. I have been weighing the pros and cons. We are in the country so the noise isn't an issue but I just didn't plan on any roosters. I guess that is my question to the forum. I like the idea of a protector and possibly hatching my own, although hadn't planned on that but he is very active and aggressive and not very friendly to me at all like the others (and he's fast!) He really changed the dynamic of the whole group. Is he worth keeping in my flock?

 

[aglandaetap]

Thanks for those confirmations. He was supposed to be a pullet. I have been weighing the pros and cons. We are in the country so the noise isn't an issue but I just didn't plan on any roosters. I guess that is my question to the forum. I like the idea of a protector and possibly hatching my own, although hadn't planned on that but he is very active and aggressive and not very friendly to me at all like the others (and he's fast!) He really changed the dynamic of the whole group. Is he worth keeping in my flock?

Give him a chance and see if the dynamic in your flock gets better once he matures a bit?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Though maturing can take up to 2 years for some roosters, so some you need to wait a long time, but most are worth it.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

I would keep him unless he is like, attacking you or something. I have some bantams that are tame, and some that totally avoid me, all in the same batch! I think roosters just make the hens feel more secure. Plus, he is always finding treats for them! I also agree that giving him some time might be a good idea. He is pretty! If he was supposed to be a hen, you might see if you could get your money back!