He/She has me stumped...

[pcekpr05]

So I am hoping to find out if I have a pullet or cockerel. This...let's say little one...is a Austra White which is a cross between a black australorp rooster and a white leghorn hen. I got this little one from a hatchery along with another austra white, two welsummer, two barred rocks, a cream legbar, and a buff orpington. All the chicks are now 8 weeks old and I can't determine if this one is a cockerel or a pullet. I heard that in chicks pullets tend to grow wing and tail feathers faster and that by the first week the pullets would have considerably longer feathers. Keeping that in mind I noticed that this little one seemed considerably behind the other seven when it came to feather development. By 3 weeks this one still had little fuzzy stubby wings and just a fuzzy backside, no tail at all. You can even see here at 8 weeks its tail is not much more than just a few feathers while the other seven have fully formed tails. I also noticed that this one's legs and feet turned darker early on. The other austra white's legs and feet are now dark but they stayed yellow a lot longer than this one. This one doesn't have much of a comb or waddles in fact some that I am pretty sure are female have bigger combs and waddles at this point. It may just be a waiting game but I thought I would give it a try and see if any one could tell the sex of this little chick or possible even provide information on why its feather development seems slower than that of all the rest.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Nothing about this bird says cockerel at this point -- as for the difference in development, they are individuals, just like people. As long as the bird is eating, drinking and behaving healthily and *is* progressing developmentally (even if slower in comparison to the others) there isn't much to worry about.

 

[donrae]

At 8 weeks that's a pullet.

 

[drumstick diva]

agree