D'uccle chicks sexing at 1.5-2 weeks old

[Vreed77026]

Can someone help sex these 1.5 to 2 week old d'uccle chicks? None have combs or waddles yet. 5 have tail feathers 1 doesn't.

I'm thinking 5 females and a male. (females get tail feathers earlier than males in large breed chickens IE my Delwares, Amercunas, and Rhode Island Reds)

Brooding them for a friend's son for his birthday. He doesn't care what he gets but I'd like an equal balance of male to females. I keep 1 Rooster to 9 hens in my big coop and adding 12 more hens and 2 roosters soon.

 

[JedJackson]

It's way too early to say, and tail feathers mean nothing at that age. Have to go by combs and wattles, and six weeks is a good time to start with that unless it is obvious earlier. Bantams usually come straight run, so there's no telling.

 

[Vreed77026]

Thank you Jed Jackson.
Yeah they were straight run from the feed store. I figure either I've got 5 females and a male or vise versa. Fortunately the young man (12 almost 13) I'm raising them for doesn't care either way. I'll let yall know and include pics when their combs and waddles come in. I'll only be brooding them till they're fully feathered (6-8 weeks old) then they go to their new home.

 

[JedJackson]

Thank you Jed Jackson.
Yeah they were straight run from the feed store. I figure either I've got 5 females and a male or vise versa. Fortunately the young man (12 almost 13) I'm raising them for doesn't care either way. I'll let yall know and include pics when their combs and waddles come in. I'll only be brooding them till they're fully feathered (6-8 weeks old) then they go to their new home.

Nice of you to raise them for him. I hope there are lots of pullets even if he doesn't care.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Can someone help sex these 1.5 to 2 week old d'uccle chicks? None have combs or waddles yet. 5 have tail feathers 1 doesn't.

It is far too early to sex chicks at this young of age. The earliest that sexing is likely to be accurate will be at six weeks old. Also, all of them have combs and wattles (not waddles,  wattles) already; a chick has a comb the second they hatch, and the same is with wattles. Whether the comb and/or wattles are so short you can barely see them, all chickens have them.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Can someone help sex these 1.5 to 2 week old d'uccle chicks? None have combs or waddles yet. 5 have tail feathers 1 doesn't.

I'm thinking 5 females and a male. (females get tail feathers earlier than males in large breed chickens IE my Delwares, Amercunas, and Rhode Island Reds)

Brooding them for a friend's son for his birthday. He doesn't care what he gets but I'd like an equal balance of male to females. I keep 1 Rooster to 9 hens in my big coop and adding 12 more hens and 2 roosters soon.

Most birds have to be specifically bred for the feather sexing to actually work. Otherwise you may as well just flip a coin for each one.

Where did you get them from? I've never seen mottled duccles at feed stores

 

[Vreed77026]

It is far too early to sex chicks at this young of age. The earliest that sexing is likely to be accurate will be at six weeks old. Also, all of them have combs and wattles (not waddles,  wattles) already; a chick has a comb the second they hatch, and the same is with wattles. Whether the comb and/or wattles are so short you can barely see them, all chickens have them.

5 with long tail feathers combs popped up today. I'll keep this updated so maybe it'll help someone else in the future. Still too early to tell for sure but estimated guess?

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

5 with long tail feathers combs popped up today. I'll keep this updated so maybe it'll help someone else in the future. Still too early to tell for sure but estimated guess?

Sorry, I never saw this. I assume you have an update by now. Long tail feathers mean nothing (apart from the fact that, as you said, some females of certain breeds grow quicker tail feathers), and all chickens have combs immediately after they hatch. Sexing is usually only going to work when they are six weeks old, though some breeds can be sexed before.

 

[LaurenRitz]

New pictures?