Delaware chicks genders? *with pics*

[UrbanFarming]

Hi everybody! I picked up a couple day-old Delaware chicks yesterday and although I know it's probably too early to sex them I can't help but notice some big differences in them. I was hoping if any of you have experience with these cute lil fuzz balls and KNEW one was a cockerel I could bring him back and grab a pullet.
Thanks!!

Chick 1 has pink legs, dark smudges, and really short wing feathers:

Chick 2 has grey legs, is all yellow, and has longer white wing feathers:

 

[BantamLover21]

It is too young to tell; the differences you are seeing are not necessarily indications of gender. I'd post new photos when they are 6-8 weeks of age.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Too young to tell. Post more photos at 5-6 weeks old, and we'll be able to tell the gender better.

 

[UrbanFarming]

Glad to hear it! Thank you!!

 

[speckledhen]

I bred Delawares for years. You cannot tell at this age. Mine cannot be wing sexed, either. You will be able to tell by about a month old, maybe sooner if a cockerel pops a pink comb by 3 weeks, as some of mine do.

 

[UrbanFarming]

@speckledhen chick #1's wing feathers are now growing in barred black/white, while chick #2 has all white wing feathers. Does the wing color not matter? If not I'll repost pics at a month old. Thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

@speckledhen chick #1's wing feathers are now growing in barred black/white, while chick #2 has all white wing feathers. Does the wing color not matter? If not I'll repost pics at a month old. Thanks!

No, not for sexing. Some have lots of wing color and some don't. What you'll find as a sexing tool with Delawares is that the cockerels will have lots of "smut" down their backs from the hackle area down between the wings as they feather in and most pullets will not, but that is not 100% accurate. My cockerels had pink combs by 3-4 weeks of age and it was apparent what they were by then.

Another thing that will skew these sexing rules is whether you have hatchery stock or good breeder stock. Some hatcheries have abysmal Dels.

I'm going to see if I can find a photo to help you with that, but my system is out for repair and I don't have access to all my photos on DH's laptop. BRB.

ETA: I'm trying but BYC won't give me the upload command to click. Good grief. I'll keep trying because I did find pictures for you of cockerels about 4-6 weeks old.

 

[speckledhen]

This little man is three weeks old, easy to tell. Working on finding the other two pics to show "smut" that I transferred from the little external drive, but they have gone to never never land, I guess. Searching.....

 

[speckledhen]

Finally! This cockerel was about 5-6 weeks old at the time of these photos. The second photo is an excellent example of between the shoulders smut that signals a male of the Delaware breed (99% of the time) And that will clear out as he matures, or should. That was the last pure Delaware hatched here until just two weeks ago. I have his full sibling growing out who will probably go to the same person. My rooster and his only remaining hen are approaching 6 yrs. old so I haven't been breeding from them in recent years, concentrating on my Barred Rocks.

 

[UrbanFarming]

No, not for sexing. Some have lots of wing color and some don't. What you'll find as a sexing tool with Delawares is that the cockerels will have lots of "smut" down their backs from the hackle area down between the wings as they feather in and most pullets will not, but that is not 100% accurate. My cockerels had pink combs by 3-4 weeks of age and it was apparent what they were by then.

Another thing that will skew these sexing rules is whether you have hatchery stock or good breeder stock. Some hatcheries have abysmal Dels.

I'm going to see if I can find a photo to help you with that, but my system is out for repair and I don't have access to all my photos on DH's laptop. BRB.

ETA: I'm trying but BYC won't give me the upload command to click. Good grief. I'll keep trying because I did find pictures for you of cockerels about 4-6 weeks old.

Does this count as smut?



ETA: Thank you for all of your input!! I really appreciate it!