# Are these Australorps pullets or cockerels?



## tegaily

Hi everyone, we decided to get many more chicks this spring and we have a pair of Blue Australorps. We Love this colour and were wondering if you could help us decide if these 2 beauties are pullets or cockerels. We think pullets but they do have rooster qualities as they have 'claimed' the next youngest set of 4 chicks as their own and stay with them everywhere, kind of looks like they are herding them  They are 10.5 weeks old.


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## kjohnstone

Look like pullets to me. I have a pair of black Australorps (pullets).


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## MaransGuy

The one in the back looks like a pullet, but I'm not sure about the other one. The one in the front looks like its tail is starting to curve.


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## 7chicks

Both are pullets but pure breed australorps are black.


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## kjohnstone

Or at least black is the only color that is recognized for show. As far as a curved to the tail feathers, ALL pictures I have seen of Australorp hens/pullets have the curved top tail feathers, as do my 2 girls. It's a breed thing.


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## kessy09

I think they both look like pullets to me too. The front one was a little questionable but I'm leaning to pullet as well.


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## MaransGuy

I don't see any pointed saddle feathers, which would point towards pullets.


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## kjohnstone

sword-like saddle feather say ROO, and these girls don't have them.


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## jmc0319

tegaily said:


> Hi everyone, we decided to get many more chicks this spring and we have a pair of Blue Australorps. We Love this colour and were wondering if you could help us decide if these 2 beauties are pullets or cockerels. We think pullets but they do have rooster qualities as they have 'claimed' the next youngest set of 4 chicks as their own and stay with them everywhere, kind of looks like they are herding them  They are 10.5 weeks old.


These don't look like australorps to me. Mine are black


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## tegaily

The Blue colour is not recognized, But I quite like it and to keep this colour we will need to breed to a Black roo and then to a blue roo. I too am leaning to pullets, but one does have curling rounded saddle feathers!? Their combs and wattles came in a dark pink, but not red currently. I love the dark grey legs and feet they have Thanks for your observations.


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## puppidoodle

My guess is both are pullets, they have that hen shape and rounded saddle feathers


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## heyden

Am interested in Blue australorps anyone sell hatching eggs from Canada or even better from Ontario


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## hellofromtexas

Blue is a color for australorps.

Black is the most common but there is blue and white. The only un-showable color is splash. But it can be shown in Australia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australorp

I'm not sure but I'm leaning towards pullet.


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## tegaily

They both turned out to be roosters so they went on to other homes. The only breeder(that I know of) of them around the Maritime provinces is in Nova Scotia at ActiveLife Farm.


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## hellofromtexas

I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this game.


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## heyden

I tried emailing activelife farms but email address from their webcite didn't seem to work


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## tegaily

[email protected]

They don't seem to reply fast, so a call may work better


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## heyden

they have no eggs for sale


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## Fiere

I don't think Kevin does the hatching eggs at all.
It's hard to find hatching eggs for the blues. It's not usually the small backyard breeders that ship eggs, and the more serious breeders stick to the blacks as the blues are not recognized as a colour. From my experience, those that breed for show quality are purists and some really look down their nose at those who have the blue and splash birds. 

Depending on how my birds turn out with my first couple hatches I might be offering blue/black hatching eggs next year. I do not strive for blue because it really narrows your gene pool quickly (and it's not recognized, alas), but I do keep blues and breed to black which gives a 50% chance of blue chicks each hatch.


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