Is my hen a rooster?!

We suspect one of our chickens may actually be a rooster, please advise?

More precisely, we are noticing a more pronounced crown and gill but those are the only defining features thus far as the breed makes it difficult to discern feather length, etc.

Did you get more chicks than you originally ordered? Hatcheries usually like to throw in a couple extra roosters. "For warmth", of course, not 'cause they're trying to get rid of them or anything....

No, these two were hand selected and two "females" were chosen

I see one hen, two pullets in your pics, the hen with the wattles and comb, is an older more mature "hen" than the two pullets in the first pic.

There are only two birds, they are the same two in each picture. I am unfamiliar with the term pullets, is it your opinion that they are both female?

Your Barred Plymouth Rock, the black and white, is definitely a hen. We have a dozen of them

You'll know if he crows!

Matu Collins wrote:You'll know if he crows!

Hens crow too.

It use to be a hen is a female adult chicken, a cockerel is a male adult chicken, and a rooster is the chicken (male or female) in charge of the roost. The language has changed in the last few decades, or maybe it's just a North American thing about not wanting to say the four letter word meaning adult male chicken - in old english, Coq. There seems to be a lot of confusion as to what we call chickens these days. It could just be simply because people have become use to not living with chickens that they forgot the words for them. I don't know. But I suppose the point is, a rooster is not necessarily male or female, it's the head of the roost.

If a hen is unsatisfied with the current set up, for example, if the male chicken isn't doing his job properly, or there is no coq, then the hen will adopt male behaviour, even to the point of mounting other hens, not to mention the crowing. We've had this happen a couple of times, where the hen still lays eggs, but in all other respects, acts like a coq. When we brought a new coq into the flock, and he took over as rooster, the hen went back to being a full time hen. Chicken gender roles are very complicated.

I even have a hen who is not a rooster, crow - but she's special and crows mostly as a warning about earthquakes.


Going back to the original post, they both look like hens in the photo. Different breeds have different size/shape combs and wattles, so that might be why they look so different. Are they laying yet?

The Dark chicken is what looks like a barred rock, it may not be show quality, but that's what he looks like.
Depending on the birds age I'd say he is going to be a rooster, there is a way to sex the bird also.

My Dad and family has been raising chickens for over 50 years, he raises exhibition chickens. He has always had barred rocks.
If that helps you. you can also go to the APA (American Poultry Association).
I have a pictures of male barred rocks if that will help.

p.s. the other chicken looks like a columbian rock, in case you are curious.

I hope this helped you, and I didnt offend you.

p.s. since you said you were unfamiliar with chicken terms

a young female is a pullet, and older one is a hen
a young male is a cockrel and an older one is a cock. there are specific ages as to when they go from chick to pullet/cockrel to hen/cock (hen and cock are 1 yr and older).

Here is a picture of my fathers male (cock) barred rock bantam. and a trio of them

they are such beautiful animals and they taste so good

I cannot see the tail feathers of the mostly white hen to be certain, but other than that she looks like a hen to me. The barred one is for sure a hen!

They should start laying when they are about 6 months old, and between them they should give you around one dozen eggs a week.

They're both female. Have they started laying yet?!