We purchased 12 chicks, supposedly two days old, from a very reputable poultry dealer a few miles from us. We brought them home and raised them up. They are now about 10 weeks old. One has more comb and developing wattles. We figured it was a rooster, rather than a hen. However, there is no crowing. Is it possible this is a hen that was a few days older than her sisters, and just got mixed in? Or is a 10 week old chicken too young to crow if it's a rooster? The last time we had a rooster in the mix was about eight years ago, and I have forgotten when that little rooster from the nether regions started to crow (he was mean, mean, mean!). Any advice would be appreciated, since I have signs at the feed store offering a Black Australorp Rooster for free. If it isn't a rooster, my face will be red.
So most places you buy from that sell you females, they have a 5 percent "wrong" clause in a 10 week period. So that means they can be wrong about 5 per every 100 chicks...and they don't have to do anything for you. If you get lets say 10 male per hundred well, maybe they will credit you 5 birds or something.....I do not keep cocks anymore so I just take them to a friend to do with what she wants......I don't hatch my regular chickens anymore and the cocks just eat food.....that's not logical...to me. As far as deciding the sex, you can see them chasing others a bit more and you will here them crowing....I have some hens that have a larger comb so don't pleed them guilty to early....
I am guessing it is a roo. They don't start crowing for quite some time... 3-4 months maybe longer. If they are all the same breed most likely you can see the difference sooner than you think. The comb is bigger and redder than a hens comb.
Roosters won't crow for a few months but they do have more comb and wattles than females. I'm guessing you've got a rooster.
Oh dear, that is what I feared--a rooster. You'd think that in the middle of a farming community someone would be thrilled to get a purebred rooster to enhance their flock. However, I've had no takers for the guy. Frank, I'll try to get a photo of the suspect bird so your mama can help me identify him. By the way, what are the shipping charges to send a rooster to Ireland?
