6 week Welsummer

I would love some help with this chick's gender. At first I thought Roo....but now the pink has chilled out and not gone red. Thanks

cockerel. If it has that much comb at that age, it's a rooster

ChickenLover200 said:

cockerel. If it has that much comb at that age, it's a rooster

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That's why I am posting. Some breeds can turn early. I know that Buff Orphingtons can turn early....so I am hoping someone can look at the patterning of the feathers/shape, etc. Unless this is a bird where the comb IS the indicator.
Thanks for more input.

It also has the coloring of a male.

Rats....anyone need a Welsummer roo?
So I can learn more, what is going on with the coloring?

Sstewart said:

Rats....anyone need a Welsummer roo?
So I can learn more, what is going on with the coloring?

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We ended up with 2 pullets and a roo.

From the day they came out of the box, the roo had some differences, but not absolutely 100% sure until 3 weeks.

Here they are at 3 DAYS old. The 2 pullets have the dark face mask around the eyes and a more pointed V. The cockerel is the middle chick.
Now, this in itself, I've been told, is not definitive. Some chicks that look like this could still be pullets.


BUT then came the day where those dark red/black chest feather sprouted. The girls stayed salmon- one was a little more reddish but no black.


The chick on the left with the red/black chest feathers sprouting is a little cockerel.
The chick in the middle light brown/salmon chest feather is a little pullet as is the one on the far right who is a little darker.

All at day 20:


Here are the cockerel and the darker of the two females at 6 weeks- the comb and wattles are prominent on the cockerel (right). The other pullet stayed lighter overall:



Today they're 9 weeks in the same order as the 3 week old pics above- the pullets have started to pink up and get little red wattles (flash washes this out a little) and the cockerel looks much different with more changes to come.

Wow. Very informative. Thank you for the pictures. I think when you have more than 1 kind of a bird you can really see the comparision. How come all the tails point down. With most of my females, they go up in a triangle?
Thanks again

Sstewart said:

I would love some help with this chick's gender. At first I thought Roo....but now the pink has chilled out and not gone red. Thanks

Click to expand...

Cockerel

cockerel

Sstewart said:

Wow. Very informative. Thank you for the pictures. I think when you have more than 1 kind of a bird you can really see the comparision. How come all the tails point down. With most of my females, they go up in a triangle?
Thanks again

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Mine are used to being picked up and separated from the flock for a bit while I get their weight and look them over and take their pictures. I usually do this in the bathroom so I can have them at an elevated spot for a better look and if they decide to make a break for it, they can't get too far (house cats abound). Anyways, being separated for a couple minutes and having Godzilla (me) take pictures of them almost always results in the tail down thing-- but it's less than 3 minutes of their lives once every week or two. When they're trotting around with their friends the tails are up.