Gender guess: 6 weeks old Australorps UPDATED: 8, 9 and 10 weeks

[MarlaMac]

If 3 of my chicks are really cockerels I'll have to redesign my coop as well, but I don't want to even think about it! I'm really in love of them, I'm thinking about keeping all of them anyway and build some bachelor pad.

I understand. I hate giving away any of my birds. I almost gave my little questionable bird away, but when I scrutinized the person about his flock, he basically was a breeding operation and he/she would have gone into a breeding pen. I can't do that. I have only given away one bird and that was to a friend who needed a rooster for her flock.

Now I have to have a plan to stop my broody momma from sitting on eggs. She has done this twice and she is only 15 months old. I want to control nature, but I know it doesn't work that way.

 

[maceleneo]

I feel you! All my hens go broody and sometimes I let one of them hatch eggs. Usually I can easily find some good rehoming for the new chicks, but I could never give them away if they had to be confined in a small breeding pen! Usually chicks hatched by my broodies are more shy, but these 4 arrived with few days, they were immediately eating out of my hands and they're super tame, I love them. I hope I can find a way to keep them all!

 

[maceleneo]

Hi you all, tomorrow these chicks are going to be 9 weeks old and I still can't tell their gender except for the blue one (that has been clear since the beginning). The other 3 still have bigger and pinker wattles and combs, I can't see any specific male feathers but if they are slow developing cockerels it could be soon for those. What do you think?

 

[Painted Calls]

Hi you all, tomorrow these chicks are going to be 9 weeks old and I still can't tell their gender except for the blue one (that has been clear since the beginning). The other 3 still have bigger and pinker wattles and combs, I can't see any specific male feathers but if they are slow developing cockerels it could be soon for those. What do you think? View attachment 3425331View attachment 3425332View attachment 3425333View attachment 3425334View attachment 3425335View attachment 3425336View attachment 3425337View attachment 3425338

My gosh they are cute. They have the roundest little heads and bodies!

They look masculine (number 4 especially), but I just don't see anything saying that they are definitely cockerels. I hate to say keep updating, but this group is being super slow to mature.

 

[maceleneo]

I'll keep waiting!

 

[MarlaMac]

It will be interesting to continue to watch your littles grow and develop. They all look pullet-y to me at this point.. I don't see any with the stink eye that young roosters usually have. Again, I am no expert. Here is a picture of my young black australorp cockerel at 9 weeks. I still have one of our four littles that I cannot tell if s/he is a pullet or a cockerel and they are 13 weeks already. Her comb/wattle are red and pronounced, but she walks like a hen, doesn't have obvious male feathering and I have yet to hear her crow. Behind him you can see the face of one of the 9 week old girls.

Hi you all, tomorrow these chicks are going to be 9 weeks old and I still can't tell their gender except for the blue one (that has been clear since the beginning). The other 3 still have bigger and pinker wattles and combs, I can't see any specific male feathers but if they are slow developing cockerels it could be soon for those. What do you think? View attachment 3425331View attachment 3425332View attachment 3425333View attachment 3425334View attachment 3425335View attachment 3425336View attachment 3425337View attachment 3425338

 

[maceleneo]

@MarlaMac I always thought sexing would be faster with single comb chicks! 13 weeks and no male feathers sounds promising by the way, you should post updated pictures too!
I'm going to update this thread until I know for sure, I hate when sexing threads remain unsolved, especially with most controversial cases!

 

[PopoMyers]

@MarlaMac I always thought sexing would be faster with single comb chicks! 13 weeks and no male feathers sounds promising by the way, you should post updated pictures too!
I'm going to update this thread until I know for sure, I hate when sexing threads remain unsolved, especially with most controversial cases!

Oh, the wait is so hard! In my flock, pullets did not have any bright red combs or wattles until they were near point of lay. Cockerels were red from a way younger age. I have no idea if your breed is different in that respect.

 

[maceleneo]

@PopoMyers the suspense is killing me!
I studied a lot of pictures and usually Australorp cockerels have much bigger combs at this age... but pullets have less wattles and less red! The most alarming fact is that my blue chick is very different from the others: she has yellow comb and very tiny wattles, but I've seen same sex chicks developing at very different speeds so I'm stuck in a loop

 

[Shipgirl]

@PopoMyers the suspense is killing me!
I studied a lot of pictures and usually Australorp cockerels have much bigger combs at this age... but pullets have less wattles and less red! The most alarming fact is that my blue chick is very different from the others: she has yellow comb and very tiny wattles, but I've seen same sex chicks developing at very different speeds so I'm stuck in a loop

I’d love to see updates later! Mine are 4 weeks. I have so long to figure them out but I think I have 2 pullets and 2 Cockerels. We will see.