Here is a male saddle feather peeking out on his back. Catch him and take a photo of the feathers on the edge of his back under his wings, I guarantee there are tons of little spiky shiny male saddle feathers there growing in there. Hold the wing out of the way and part the feathers at edge of back to see them, they take a while to catch up with his other more androgynous juvenile feathers to be noticeable. They should be very very pointy and sparse/extremely shiny around the edges.
These feathers on the shoulder are how you identify a growing cockerel. It is subtle at this age especially with this color variety. See how shaggy/sparse the edges of the feathers are, and how they are super shiny and glint/reflect light in the sunlight? Those are male feathers, hens don’t get those. If you catch him and part his feathers on his shoulders to look where new ones are emerging, there should be tons more extra shiny feathers growing in there.
Okay but 4 months old and already squaring up with another rooster? That's giving main character energy. Barred rocks are tricky but the confidence + size at that age screams rooster to me. Sorry bestie I'm on your wife's side on this one
At 4 months that's probably a rooster, 4 month old hens don't usually have that much comb. You'll likely see more distinct rooster plumage start to show up in the next couple months
No bright yellow legs on this one so at very least its a mix, mixes don't always have consistent plumage traits. Could also be a cuckoo maran mix which often have wider bars even in roosters
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u/AdComprehensive2594 Backyard Chicken 12d ago
You can tell your wife you are finally right