UPDATED PICS Please help determine gender of Barred Rock

Bridgo · Mar 21, 2014

I have 3 barred rock chicks with one showing a lot more white than the others. I do not see a difference in the combs between the three. They all have the dark wash on their legs. The one in question does have different looking tail feathers. These are our first ever chicks, so we are learning as we go! The first photo is at 1 week old, the other photos are from today, 4 weeks old.

PeckPeckChick · Mar 21, 2014

The bars of white will be wider on roosters ( there might be more white too)

Bridgo · Mar 21, 2014

Thank you! I'd love to get a few more thoughts...

Fred's Hens · Mar 21, 2014

Hatchery sourced BR have less precise barring, almost cuckoo, but the principles remain the same. At 5-7 weeks, the males will sprout red combs and little red wattles under their beaks. Females will not. The pullets will sprout no secondary sex characteristics with combs and wattles until they are much, much older.

The cockerels "white" will be more vibrant, as males have 2 genes while females only have 1 gene. The pullets will look darker and appear more black in over all appearance.

Give your chicks another week to 10 days and you'll see the difference vividly. You'll be very confident of the sexing.

Here's a little cockerel in the lower right. Pullets toward the rear. Quite obvious.

Same chicks here. Cockerel on left, pullets on right

Here's a male and female at 8 weeks. Very obvious. These are heritage birds, of course.

Bridgo · Mar 21, 2014

Thank you!! Very helpful!

Fred's Hens said:
Hatchery sourced BR have less precise barring, almost cuckoo, but the principles remain the same. At 5-7 weeks, the males will sprout red combs and little red wattles under their beaks. Females will not. The pullets will sprout no secondary sex characteristics with combs and wattles until they are much, much older. The cockerels "white" will be more vibrant, as males have 2 genes while females only have 1 gene. The pullets will look darker and appear more black in over all appearance. Give your chicks another week to 10 days and you'll see the difference vividly. You'll be very confident of the sexing. Here's a little cockerel in the lower right. Pullets toward the rear. Quite obvious. Same chicks here. Cockerel on left, pullets on right Here's a male and female at 8 weeks. Very obvious. These are heritage birds, of course.