PBAndAlice
In the Brooder
Quick backstory. We got 2 new chicks last week and unfortunately we lost one, when my family went back to buy another (while I was in class) the farmer apparently "threw in an extra one for free". Already knew it'd likely be a rooster when I heard that, but I also have no idea what the breed is so I'm curious. Even though we aren't gonna keep him for long lol. BTW, he (1, brown and black chick) and the Buff Orpington (2) are both a bit over a week old, and the first chick the Silver Wyandotte (not pictured) is 3 weeks.
Here's him from the front
Side view
Top of back
Wing
That's all I have RN for Breed ID. Parents unknown, and the only breeds I can remember the guy having are Silver and Gold Lace Wyandotte and Buff and Black Orpingtons, though he had a LOT of different breeds available, all mixed together. Clean feet that are gray and orange. Looks like a single comb.
For sexing however, I have a lot of evidence, but I'm not sure what's just myths or breed differences rather than sex differences. Please let me know because I'd like to learn some methods for future reference!!
1. Wings
[Is this a breed difference and/or myth?]
Also not sure if feathers even work after 2 days but I noticed their wing shapes are different, where the unknown chick (1) has a two-step kind of wing and the Buff (2) has a roundish wing.
2. Combs
[Is this a breed difference?]
I see everyone using combs but I figured I'd ask anyway. 1 has a slightly bigger comb than 2, but they both have single combs. (Sorry for the blurry pic + kinda hard to tell)
3. Legs
[Is this a myth and/or breed difference?]
I heard somewhere that someone used leg size as another sexing technique. I noticed 1 has slightly wider/larger legs than 2.
4. Tail
[Is this a myth?]
I ALSO heard that roos grow their tails slower than pullets, and 1's tail is shorter than 2's. Hard to tell here too, sorry.
5. Body size
[Is this a breed difference?]
While I wouldn't use this as a deciding factor, I do think it's worth noting that 1 has a larger body and seems to feel "more muscular" or just denser when held.
6. Behavior
1 is very loud, has a LOUD raspy chirp while 2 and the Wyandotte trill and tweet. 1 also jumps on top of the Wyandotte often (who is larger than him) in what I can only assume to be a display of dominance.
7. Vent
I've read that it's advised not to do this, and I worry about hurting my birds, so I tried to do this as minimally invasive as possible - I kinda just push up above the vent (pushing the tail up) and try to get a good look while their vents do that.. Weird pulsing thing. So strange lol. I noticed the "bubble" things that people mention when it comes to sexing chicks, which I didn't see on the other two confirmed females, but I'm not sure if I was seeing correctly and didn't wanna stress him or hurt him so I put him down. Any advice for this part? Does this work? Did I even do it right? Should I not do it? Is it reliable enough that I could use it in the future? (I forgot to get a pic.)
I dunno what else to add here. Sorry for writing so much as always. I just like to talk and write lol. Byes.
Here's him from the front
Side view
Top of back
Wing
That's all I have RN for Breed ID. Parents unknown, and the only breeds I can remember the guy having are Silver and Gold Lace Wyandotte and Buff and Black Orpingtons, though he had a LOT of different breeds available, all mixed together. Clean feet that are gray and orange. Looks like a single comb.
For sexing however, I have a lot of evidence, but I'm not sure what's just myths or breed differences rather than sex differences. Please let me know because I'd like to learn some methods for future reference!!
1. Wings
[Is this a breed difference and/or myth?]
Also not sure if feathers even work after 2 days but I noticed their wing shapes are different, where the unknown chick (1) has a two-step kind of wing and the Buff (2) has a roundish wing.
2. Combs
[Is this a breed difference?]
I see everyone using combs but I figured I'd ask anyway. 1 has a slightly bigger comb than 2, but they both have single combs. (Sorry for the blurry pic + kinda hard to tell)
3. Legs
[Is this a myth and/or breed difference?]
I heard somewhere that someone used leg size as another sexing technique. I noticed 1 has slightly wider/larger legs than 2.
4. Tail
[Is this a myth?]
I ALSO heard that roos grow their tails slower than pullets, and 1's tail is shorter than 2's. Hard to tell here too, sorry.
5. Body size
[Is this a breed difference?]
While I wouldn't use this as a deciding factor, I do think it's worth noting that 1 has a larger body and seems to feel "more muscular" or just denser when held.
6. Behavior
1 is very loud, has a LOUD raspy chirp while 2 and the Wyandotte trill and tweet. 1 also jumps on top of the Wyandotte often (who is larger than him) in what I can only assume to be a display of dominance.
7. Vent
I've read that it's advised not to do this, and I worry about hurting my birds, so I tried to do this as minimally invasive as possible - I kinda just push up above the vent (pushing the tail up) and try to get a good look while their vents do that.. Weird pulsing thing. So strange lol. I noticed the "bubble" things that people mention when it comes to sexing chicks, which I didn't see on the other two confirmed females, but I'm not sure if I was seeing correctly and didn't wanna stress him or hurt him so I put him down. Any advice for this part? Does this work? Did I even do it right? Should I not do it? Is it reliable enough that I could use it in the future? (I forgot to get a pic.)
I dunno what else to add here. Sorry for writing so much as always. I just like to talk and write lol. Byes.
