6 Week Old Chick Sex Question

[Meg Gerstenfeld]

Hi all,
Our chicks are just shy of 6 weeks and the suspense is killing me. We have 7, 3 are autosexing/sex link but the other 4 are "pullets" *with a 90% accuracy from the feed store. I tried getting pictures like the ones in the example, but we're acclimating them to the outside and they pretty much travel as a clumped up herd at this point. So I tried to focus as best I could on the ones I have questions about. I only got one picture of one facing towards me. The rest were busy exploring. In order of loading the pictures, they're a Black Australorp, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, a RI Red, and a Lavender Orpington. Is anyone out there able to give me a good guess as to whether I have any cockerels? If so, I get to make my nephew happy because he really wanted one to be named Clyde.
Thanks so much for any help.

 

[The Ranch Girl]

The RI red, lavender Orpington, and silver laced Wyandotte look like Pullets but I’m leaning towards cockerel with the black Aulstralorp. Then again I’m not too sure.
But a beautiful group of chickens!

 

[PigeonEnjoyer]

i agree with @The Ranch Girl , looks like you have quite a bit of pullets

 

[EggSighted4Life]

hey're a Black Australorp, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, a RI Red, and a Lavender Orpington. Is anyone out there able to give me a good guess as to wf golhether I have any cockerels?

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Those are all still looking like pullets!

Don't trust the sex linked or auto sexing (unless you're familiar with what's expected).. Just yesterday I saw a big bin of "gold sex link pullets" that had a bunch of white chicks in there, only 1 orange chick, and a bunch of striped babies (BLRW, I think).. Clearly only 1 was possibly a GSL pullet. The white ones were either all cockerels!!! OR another breed altogether.. but the store (including manager) was clueless (and frustrated at my assessment) Too bad there's no shame to their game at the corporate level and no recourse for the small guys either. Last year some folks also ended up with cockerels in the Cream Legbar (auto sexing) "pullet" bin.

BA always look scary early on.. but the clues aren't there.. yet. Which is a promising sign at 6 weeks.

The Wyandotte has incorrect comb type, very common to see straight combs. Can be discerned from SL Orp by skin color for one thing.. but also usually.. what they were sold as.

Cute flock!

 

[Meg Gerstenfeld]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Those are all still looking like pullets!

Don't trust the sex linked or auto sexing (unless you're familiar with what's expected).. Just yesterday I saw a big bin of "gold sex link pullets" that had a bunch of white chicks in there, only 1 orange chick, and a bunch of striped babies (BLRW, I think).. Clearly only 1 was possibly a GSL pullet. The white ones were either all cockerels!!! OR another breed altogether.. but the store (including manager) was clueless (and frustrated at my assessment) Too bad there's no shame to their game at the corporate level and no recourse for the small guys either. Last year some folks also ended up with cockerels in the Cream Legbar (auto sexing) "pullet" bin.

BA always look scary early on.. but the clues aren't there.. yet. Which is a promising sign at 6 weeks.

The Wyandotte has incorrect comb type, very common to see straight combs. Can be discerned from SL Orp by skin color for one thing.. but also usually.. what they were sold as.

Cute flock!

They were marketed as Silver Laced Wyandotte. But I can check skin color. . . What is the difference in skin color between the Wyandotte and the Orpington?

I didn't even think that they'd give me incorrect sexlinked chicks. The first photo is in the box from the feed store. The three sex linked/autosexed chicks are at the top. Supposed to be a barred rock, GSL, and a Cream Legbar. And it looked like they were??? Because of the head dot on the barred rock, the color of the GSL, and the chipmunk look of the Legbar. But again, I'm totally new at this.

I attached pics of what they looked like as chicks and what they look like now. I wasn't trying to get pictures of them for sexing so they're just kind of random. Thanks so much for the head's up and for your help.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

They were marketed as Silver Laced Wyandotte. But I can check skin color. . . What is the difference in skin color between the Wyandotte and the Orpington?

It's probably a Wyandotte (the orps are still a little more rare).. skin color may be hard to discern (depending on age).. Usually seen under the feet or in the wing pit.. yellow for Wyandotte and white for Orpington (however chicks can look like yellower legs at hatch before they start maturing).. BUT yellow skin can look white when there's not much carotenoids in the diet.. or under heavy egg production.. For comparison purposes your Australorp and lav Orp have white skin and the rock and others should be yellow.. the front of the legs is called the shanks.. and may be different than skin color, but I don't *think* birds with white skin get yellow shanks (usually willow or slate perhaps).. Now that I've described all that.. I can see clearly your SLW.. has beautiful yellow legs.. which (in my mind) would confirm Wyandotte.. Thank you for letting me have this mini mystery (practice) adventure.

I didn't even think that they'd give me incorrect sexlinked chicks.

Yes, they look correct!

 

[NatJ]

the front of the legs is called the shanks.. and may be different than skin color, but I don't *think* birds with white skin get yellow shanks (usually willow or slate perhaps)..

Typically it's white skin with white or slate shanks, yellow skin with yellow or willow shanks. The soles of the feet should match the skin color (white or yellow), even if the shanks are slate or willow.

Now that I've described all that.. I can see clearly your SLW.. has beautiful yellow legs.. which (in my mind) would confirm Wyandotte.

I agree.

Single combs in Wyandottes do happen sometimes, because of how the genetics of rose comb work. Putting that together with the leg color, and it being labeled a Wyandotte, and Wyandottes being more common than Orpingtons, I'm fairly sure it is just a Wyandotte with the wrong comb type.