How do I tell the difference between a Welsummer Pullet & Cock?

Date sort Score sort
turtleshell

turtleshell

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jan 15, 2010
51
0
39
Gympie, Qld, Australia
Hi, can anyone tell me how to tell the difference between a young Welsummer Pullet & Cock? I have a Welsummer that we bought as a chick. It was supposed to be a pullet but now at about 12-15 wks, it is starting to get green feathers in its tail and at the base of its neck. I am starting to wonder if we have got ourselves a cock?
 
you may. The females have a sort of speckledy brown body, whereas the cocks have solid red black and green feathers. if it has solid colored red feathers on the back, it is a rooster. Sorry.
 
When it first got its feathers they were speckledy brown, it looked just like the pictures I had looked at, but she (or he) has started to change. The feathers on the back are red, but there is a darker colour, near black mixed in there. Her neck is the same dark colour and so is the tail. But these dark areas on the neck and tail are developing green feathers. She (or he) doesn't look anything like the photos that I have looked at. Its either developing the rooster colouring or it hasn't been purebreed.
 
Sounds very much like a rooster.

Here are some pictures of my rooster growing up, for reference:

Day 1:
25978_chicks_day0116.jpg


About a week, I think:
25978_chick5_small.jpg


About two weeks (see the dark feathers starting just forward of the wings):
25978_chick5_small2.jpg


Maybe 4 weeks; it's really obvious at this point (sorry I can't remember the exact dates on these; I'm working on what's already uploaded as I'm on my work laptop at the moment):
25978_chick5_smallb.jpg


Here's one of the ladies at the same time, for comparison:
25978_chick7_smallb.jpg


16 weeks, next to one of the Wellie girls (Edit: here's me not paying attention -- he's next to BOTH of the Wellie girls):
25978_s5030680.jpg


Now:
25978_roo02.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have some pics of my Welsummers at about that age.

Here are the girls.

100_3017.jpg


100_3168.jpg


100_2983.jpg



They do have black in the tail, but it's not the glossy green black that roosters get. No black feathers in the neck area either. Just black markings on goldish feathers.

Here are the roosters.

100_2987.jpg


(Ignore the girl on the right. Look at the four roosters on the left. They are about 15 weeks old in this pic.)

100_3055.jpg


100_3046.jpg


Here's a younger roo, about 12 weeks old. He is losing his speckledy brown body feathers and growing in dark red feathers on the body. That's a girl right in front of him, with head cut off walking out of the picture. She's brown, he's red.

100_3003.jpg


Hope that was helpful!
smile.png
 

Similar threads

L
Is my “guaranteed pullet” a Rooster?
2
Replies
16
Views
357
FrostRanger
FrostRanger
Cammo77
Olive Welsummer pullet egg
Replies
5
Views
676
Cammo77
Cammo77
Winderdear
    • Like
    • Love
Questions about runts and tail feathers
2
Replies
10
Views
2K
Winderdear
Winderdear
C
    • Like
Do Mama hens kick out the boys earlier than girls?
2 3
Replies
20
Views
1K
No Coop No Problem
No Coop No Problem
BlueTheBrahma
How do I breed black stripes out of Welsummer Hackles?
Replies
5
Views
807
Amer
Amer

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom