Fraud! Araucana and Naked Neck

[Chicalina]

So, these two 10 week old chicks I thought were girls up until this week. Now I'm thinking they tricked me!

The lavender barred Araucana had a flat blackish comb which is now turning a bit red and slightly lumpy. I had another lavender Araucana from a different breeder who crowed at 5 weeks and had an obviously red comb at that age, so this one looked female to me. Until my eyebrow has now started arching.

The Naked Neck was also very girly looking, but now is getting redder in the neck and ears, but not all the time. Comb also reddening up slightly but still small. But it varies. Sometimes it is pink, sometimes redder. Like the skin flushes with heat, mood or activity? I've never kept this breed before. It is smaller than my other NN same age (a girl I think, unless she is defrauding me too!).

No male feathering is apparent on either chick yet, so going purely by comb. No wattles at all on either (Araucana is bearded so won't get any anyway).

Let me know if you think either bird has defrauded my good intentions and needs to be reprimanded with some stern words and finger wagging.

TIA

 

[The Moonshiner]

nothing screams cockerel to me with either.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Pullets.

 

[JedJackson]

The Naked Neck is a pullet, I think. I have limited experience with British type Araucanas, but my guess is that that is a cockerel, but I'm in the minority on that opinion so far.

 

[Fwoof]

So, these two 10 week old chicks I thought were girls up until this week. Now I'm thinking they tricked me!

The lavender barred Araucana had a flat blackish comb which is now turning a bit red and slightly lumpy. I had another lavender Araucana from a different breeder who crowed at 5 weeks and had an obviously red comb at that age, so this one looked female to me. Until my eyebrow has now started arching.

The Naked Neck was also very girly looking, but now is getting redder in the neck and ears, but not all the time. Comb also reddening up slightly but still small. But it varies. Sometimes it is pink, sometimes redder. Like the skin flushes with heat, mood or activity? I've never kept this breed before. It is smaller than my other NN same age (a girl I think, unless she is defrauding me too!).

No male feathering is apparent on either chick yet, so going purely by comb. No wattles at all on either (Araucana is bearded so won't get any anyway).

Let me know if you think either bird has defrauded my good intentions and needs to be reprimanded with some stern words and finger wagging.

TIA

They look like pullets to me. I don't see any male features on them.

 

[Acre4Me]

Dark one looks female. The light one is a possible male. It’s around 12+ weeks when saddle feathers are pretty clear for males. Before then, they often look a bit messy, without the neat look of the rounded feathers of a female. However comb not fully red on that one. Maybe clearer pics of the saddle and hackle areas of that one.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Pullets

 

[Chicalina]

Dark one looks female. The light one is a possible male. It’s around 12+ weeks when saddle feathers are pretty clear for males. Before then, they often look a bit messy, without the neat look of the rounded feathers of a female. However comb not fully red on that one. Maybe clearer pics of the saddle and hackle areas of that one.

No male feathers at all (yet)!

The Araucana has, I believe, the shredded feather gene which is common in lavender birds. It has always looked somewhat dishevelled. The other one I have is the same but without the reddy turning comb.

 

[Chicalina]

The Naked Neck is a pullet, I think. I have limited experience with British type Araucanas, but my guess is that that is a cockerel, but I'm in the minority on that opinion so far.

I will try and get a comparison photo with its sibling Araucana I have of the same age to show the difference in comb.

The one on this thread was a runt, which could explain the late development if it's male compared to another male I had from a different breeder who was obviously male from much younger.

I'm hoping I'm wrong about it being male, but appreciate your input.

 

[Chicalina]

For those saying pullet for the Naked Neck, here is its same age sibling for neck colour comparison. This white chick is about 25% bigger than the dark one. No redness, just pink. Sometimes goes a bit redder but not as often or as much.