What do you guys think?

We have this Buff Orpington/Australorp mix that we thought was a roo because the comb and wattles grew larger sooner, they were pretty big when it was still pretty small. However, we put him/her in with all the roos on death row many of which it was with all along from little bitty and they have pulled all its neck feathers out, none of the others were getting this treatment. We of course removed him/her and are beginning to wonder if it is indeed a roo or possibly a hen that just grew comb and wattles early and large. He/ she is now about 6 months old. So far not crowing and we realized it so far has no saddle feathers either. I know this isn't the best picture, but what do you all think? Hen that grew comb and wattles larger early or roo that is slow to crow and grow saddle feathers?

Here is another picture. This thing is so sweet, has been since it was very little. It follows us around and when you pick it up it snuggles in.

Well, I can't see any pointed tip neck feathers in those pictures, which is also a sign of being a roo. Those neck feathers appear to be rounded to me. I have hens with comb and wattles like that, so it is not inconceivable that it would be a hen. I have orpingtons and they do have a comb and wattles although not quite that prominent, but when I look at pics of Australorp hens, they seem to have larger than normal combs and wattles - for instance, scroll down on this link and see some of the pics.
http://www.freewebs.com/professorchickensbreeds/australorps.htm

I think you might well have a hen there. Try putting her with your hens and watch the behaviour. Any signs of mounting? Sometimes "bottom roo" on the pecking order never crows anyway, so that isn't a great clue at this point, but the feathers sure make me wonder!

not at all good at this, but nothing about that looks male to me...

I must agree with Grow, and Mox. looks very henish to me. Mox was right on though about the crowing, thats not a great indicator when in with older roos. I have two older roos that never crow due to the dominate ones. Again as Mox stated I would put her in with the hens and watch it. However if it should turn out to be a roo and you put him in with to many hens they sometimes will kill a roo. If it's possible I would put it in with maybe three or four hens an then see what happens. Hay.

I agree with everyone else, smedgekles.

I have also had roosters that remained very henish as long as they remained with more dominant roosters. When the others were removed the less dominant roo would suddenly develop more physical traits of rooness and begin to act like a roo.

However I have also had pullets with much larger combs and wattles than their brother roos when they were very young---I think the girls were just early bloomers. It seems to depend on the particular breed and strain.

I don't know anything about roosters but I had a hen that I was sure was a rooster because of her much larger comb and waddles as well as chummy behavior - then "he" layed an egg. I vote for hen.

We don't want to put it in with anything right now because when they pulled out the neck feathers they also bloodied its neck so we are wanting that to heal before putting in with others. I just hate that we didn't see what they were doing before that happened.
I'm hoping it is a hen, very sweet bird at this point. We have Australorps and yes they do have larger comb and wattles then the BO's but I don't remember them having as large of comb and wattles as this one did at a very early age. After watching it for a while it walks more like a hen as well. It does have a more pointy tail though. I guess time will tell.

Some of us Roo's can be very sweet also Smedge...LOL. Hay.

We ALL know how sweet you are Hay!! i agree looks like a hen to me too..my comets have large combs and waddles..

About half of my Buff Orpington's have huge combs & waddles... and at an early age. On two they are so big they fall over to the side in this little hat looking design. They lay some of the biggest eggs we get. Mine are 8 months old & they've had bigger combs than that one since they were about 5 or 6 months old. :) So I'd guess its a girl. (not that everyone hadn't already told you that)

Yes Hay roos can be sweet too :)

Thanks all for your votes. I'll let you all know if it starts laying eggs or if it starts crowing. (hoping for the first) My son said yesterday he was outside and he sat on the ground and it crawled up in his lap. He says every time he goes outside it follows him everywhere. It was a very tame little thing from the beginning. Funny how some chickens just have a more tame sweet personality and then you have those that are just plain meanies.

Cindy!!! Hi darling: Dontcha just love those comets. They are such lowkey great layers. I just sold the last of my young pullets. First of March I will start the cycle all over again by ordering a hundred baby chicks that will be ready to start selling early June. I always look forward to the new babies and watching them grow. This year for the first time I am going to buy fifty of the anconas and see how they do. Has anyone on the garden raised them or have any real experience with them that you could share with me. If so I would really like to hear about your experience with them. TIA. Hay

Geez Hay, i sure wish i lived closer so i could get some of your pullets..i'm probably gonna have to buy some chicks, need more layers, cant keep up with the egg orders..
cindy

Alas, mailing pullets is an expensive endeavor.

It could be a hermaphodite(?)meaning it has a lot of both gender hormones and features. That does happen in the animal world as well as in humans.

{{{is there such thing as ZeeZ mail??}}}

Your so right Porkpal: Shipping pullets is very expensive, but if you get the right ones they can very quickly pay for themselves. Chickens are a lot of fun, especially if you have the same problem as Cindy Davis who just can't keep up with the egg demand. Thats a problem most would enjoy...LOL, on the other hand when ZZ's shipped the seramas to me it took two shipments and if I remember correctly it was around eighty five bucks for the two. I had the girls for around six-seven weeks and they started laying, and they are still laying like crazy. I have sold at least two doz eggs @ three bucks each plus I have sold a total of seven babies at sixty bucks ea. Thats a little over five hundred bucks, plus I have at least thirty eggs being incubated at the present time. So it can be profitable if you are shipping the right birds. Or it can just be a very expensive hobby. Nothing wrong with a great hobby, but it's more fun when the hobby pay's for itself. Hay.

Cindy! You and Hubby just need to move back out here...LOL

Well, we now know what this chicken is. It is the sweetest thing and actually has been snuggling up with the babies we have at night being a good adoptive parent. But, it started crowing yesterday...yes, its a roo.

Oh Dear! My sweetest Buff Orpington, the one of the four that I had ordered as pullets from a hatchery, the one I was absolutely sure was a girl, did the same thing. They were all roos--but the sweet one did nothing rooish until I re-homed the other three.

What will you do?

Awww...a roo with Daddy tendencies....how sweet. As long as it's a friendly roo and doesn't get harsh with the hens...does it get spared?

He is a keeper for certain. I still suspect he is also part she & this behaviour is further proof.

Has anyone here ever had a true hermaphrodite chicken?

several of my Buff Orp hens crow on occasion.. and lay eggs. it sounds like that broken teenage don't have my voice yet crow. :) Speaking of which.. several of my bantam hens crow if they get separated from their friends for any length of time. like brought in the house or penned out of sight of the others.

...So don't give up on her/him yet!

In mating season, there will be mating efforts going on among birds or animals of the same gender if there are none of the opposite gender available. That seems to be rather 'normal'.

Well the kids are so attached that I don't think it can end up in a pot.
Maybe we will get lucky and it's a hen that crows, lol Maybe we should name it Henrooy.
I still really don't see any saddle feathers on it, but it definately was crowing. Yesterday morning and again this morning. And, my husband said it tried to mount a baby when he let them out into their yard. We seperated it from the babies now anyway and have the injured Silkie with them. She and the little baby roo had a little fight when we first put her in the pen and then they all ran around as normal and are getting along fine.
Never a dull moment that's for sure.

In all my year of raising chickens I have had only one that crowed, a bantam seabright and when she did I went into total shock as I had her two years laying eggs and being a trouble maker. She started fights regularly and when she start crowing at first I couldn't believe it. Go figure. Hay.

That's funny Hay, we had a bantam Sebright hen that crowed too. Unfortunately she got grabbed by a hawk, he didn't get her, but he killed her before we could stop him, poor little thing.