They are both male and female.  The chicken industry has come up with a special "strand" of chicken.  They are a cross of a white rock chicken and a Cornish chicken.  They bred them to grow super fast.  These chickens are still just babes when you get them from a store.  They usually process them around 8 weeks of age.

Most hens will lay any where between 16-24 weeks old.  Look at the combs and wattles.  If they are bright red and have grown quite a bit,you should start getting eggs soon.  Another way to tell if they will start laying soon,is if you see them doing the "squat"  If they are tame enough that they let you pet … Read more