- Apr 24, 2014
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Hello! This little guy is 1/2 Speckled Sussex, 1/4 Salmon Faverolle, 1/4 Partridge Rock mix. He's 4 weeks old today and looking a bit manly, but there's one thing holding me back from calling it. His mother looked almost identical at this age-exceptionally slow feathering, heavy body, long thick legs, dark chestnut body feathering, but she had even more comb and wattle development/redness at this age. It wasn't until the only rooster in her hatch started growing hackle/saddle feathers that I realized she was a pullet. So this little guy is a bit of a genetic nightmare when it comes to sexing.
I did notice tonight, though, that he has a pink line running down the outside of each leg, like my roosters get when they hit maturity, but not as dark. I've never seen that in a chick so young-is there anything that might cause this in a female, or does this prove this little guy is male? It has been cooler than usual this week, don't know if that could make a difference. Here are some photos, one includes another chick from the same hatch, but all the other chicks are purebred and are not related to him in any way, so not a good comparison for feathering or comb growth. The chick's stance is not typically rooster-y, but he is a bit more upright in the photos than usual because he was nervous of the camera. He does not chest bump or act male at all, but he is free-ranging with his mother and the flock (including a rooster),would that factor into his behavior?
I did notice tonight, though, that he has a pink line running down the outside of each leg, like my roosters get when they hit maturity, but not as dark. I've never seen that in a chick so young-is there anything that might cause this in a female, or does this prove this little guy is male? It has been cooler than usual this week, don't know if that could make a difference. Here are some photos, one includes another chick from the same hatch, but all the other chicks are purebred and are not related to him in any way, so not a good comparison for feathering or comb growth. The chick's stance is not typically rooster-y, but he is a bit more upright in the photos than usual because he was nervous of the camera. He does not chest bump or act male at all, but he is free-ranging with his mother and the flock (including a rooster),would that factor into his behavior?