ISA brown chick - roo or hen?? - NEW PICS!

[TinaK]

hi!

I had to become a member... to finally get the byc expert opinion on whether my 5 week old chick (turn 6 weeks on Tuesday) is a rooster!!

I don't know much about chickens, but I am beginning to get paranoid that one of my 'girls' is actually a 'boy'.... I don't think a rooster would go down well in my neighbourhood (city dweller) so if it is a rooster I should probably look to replace it sooner rather than later.

The chicks were purchased as ISA browns at 4 weeks old.. they are supposably both female.

All pictures show the chicks today at age 5wks + 4days.

In The first picture the one I am suspect on is the chick on the LEFT hand side. I am quite confident the one on the RIGHT is a hen.

The second picture shows a better shot of the tail on the bird I think is a rooster! In the first picture it didn't really look as it does in real life. In this shot the chick I think is a rooster is still on the LEFT hand side.

This next pic shows a close up of the hen.. and also the tail and of the bird I am suspect on. It is worth noting that when Ipicked the chicks up (2 weeks ago) the bird I 'think' is a rooster had been pecked along it's back and had minimal feather between the wings or on top of the tail and on patches on it's side (well I think? it had been pecked!!!). The feathers began growing immediately once I had the birds home.....

this final shot is of the 'suspects' head....

I can't wait to get someone else's opinion!

 

[nzpouter]

I'd leave it for a while... sometimes bosy hens can grow a bit of comb...

 

[SloCrevs]

You've definitely got yourself a little boy.

ETA: see if you can get a pic of the culprits back and where the saddle feathers would be found. If those are coming in quite shiny and pointy, paired with that comb you've for sure got a little boy.

 

[chickerdoodle]

Are Isa Browns sexlinks?

 

[nzpouter]

Quote:
yep... those hybrid layers, the roos are meant to hatch with white down.

 

[TinaK]

well supposably these are ISA browns, sex-links and female... but 'who knows' whats these birds actually are!.....


and yes ISA browns are, well are truly meant to be sex-linked.. (white hen X brown rooster of certain breeds) but there are differing opinions on the matter nowdays.....

 

[Mahonri]

Give it another week or two. The coloring is too similar. While the one on the left has bigger comb, bigger legs and the roo stance, it may just be a female trying to assert itself as the leader. :0) Does it like to play volleyball and drive a truck?

 

[TinaK]

i'll continue to post a few pix as they grow!
.......and I haven't seen them driving any trucks lately... but I do work 9 - 5!

 

[roughmac]

I've got ISA's maybe a week or two older than yours. Their combs all vary in size even though they are the same age, also their size varies. The chooks that I have bought from my local produce shop over the years have always been hens, 100%, maybe luck, maybe not. Where did you get yours? In any case, you'll know in a few weeks!!

 

[TinaK]

I got them from a local feed / bird store called 'Ivorsons' that sells a hell of a lot of chooks. Never purchased anything from there before, just happened to need horse feed on a sunday afternoon and stumbled across them then!