I purchased pullets on easter... the girls are all doing great, but I have suspicions that one of the golden sex links is not a pullet. As chicks, they looked like pullets should. In fact, when I was choosing them, I chose the darker marked in the store, and I'm glad I did that, because lighter would have meant boys for sure according to the way they're sexed at hatching.
HOWEVER.
One of them has a few traits that worry me from time to time...
1. Thicker legs. Which now seems to have evened itself out.
2. Longer/Higher comb. Which I'm not SURE is a true red flag with these guys seeing as they are crossed with barred rocks, and BR hens have pretty big combs compared to other breeds.
3. The one I'm worried about has some tailfeathers that are starting to look curved. None of the other feathers have the characteristic pointedness that roos have...
In combination with these physical signs, the pullet in question recently displayed with puffed neck feathers at the other pullets during feeding, and did a fake charge.
Here are a few photos... wish they would sit still better for all this... lol
Here are tail feathers. The one in the back has the "longer" tail with curve. This is also the chick who lost it's tail feathers just after they came in when the others started picking on it, and ate them.
Here's a poor example of their comb differences.
any votes? I would really appreciate opinions from some pros. Looking at photos of adult versions of these on line, their feathering both looks very pullet... so I'm just not SURE!
HOWEVER.
One of them has a few traits that worry me from time to time...
1. Thicker legs. Which now seems to have evened itself out.
2. Longer/Higher comb. Which I'm not SURE is a true red flag with these guys seeing as they are crossed with barred rocks, and BR hens have pretty big combs compared to other breeds.
3. The one I'm worried about has some tailfeathers that are starting to look curved. None of the other feathers have the characteristic pointedness that roos have...
In combination with these physical signs, the pullet in question recently displayed with puffed neck feathers at the other pullets during feeding, and did a fake charge.
Here are a few photos... wish they would sit still better for all this... lol
Here are tail feathers. The one in the back has the "longer" tail with curve. This is also the chick who lost it's tail feathers just after they came in when the others started picking on it, and ate them.
Here's a poor example of their comb differences.
any votes? I would really appreciate opinions from some pros. Looking at photos of adult versions of these on line, their feathering both looks very pullet... so I'm just not SURE!