Help me select 7-8 week old females?

MrsEarthern

Songster
Aug 15, 2022
134
330
143
Clermont co., Ohio
Please read entire post- I am asking about what traits help you identify gender between 6-8 weeks of age.
The local breeder I got my birds from has 7-8 week old birds available, I would like to pick up a few more females but at this age I'm not great at sexing and neither is she.
They are supposed to be Buff Orpington - Blue Australorp crosses, but there are other breeds in the mix. They may have Americana/EE, Plymouth Blue Rock, Silverlace Wyandotte and/or White Leghorn in them. I'm pretty sure she wants to keep the white and mostly white birds, but not any of the barred or pigmented.
My roos seem to have the classic single comb common to leghorns, while my girls each have different combs. One has a small pendulous single comb and the other has a very small paler comb, flesh/white when I got her, wattles were the same color, seems healthy and there has been a slight increase is pinkness as she has grown but she's still much paler than her sister.

My plan is to look for skinny legs, small combs, and I'm thinking there's a good chance the barred or partridge/brown birds are female, I am iffy on the blue/lavenders that show any buff/brown, and I'm guessing any black birds with white or yellow are male.
I will try to look at feather shape but what else should I be looking for in order to get females? Pictures are some of the birds available, as well as her existing flock, so you can get an idea of what I mean by the colors mentioned.

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are the pictures of the birds available?

I think the best thing would be to take pictures of a few that you would like, post them here and wait for replies. While you are waiting you can put leg bands on the birds so you know for sure which ones you took pics of OR have her put them in a separate area until people can respond.
 
No, I can't go and get photos and unfortunately she's not going to take better photos, nor will she hold any birds for me.
I'm not asking for y'all to identify individuals from the photos, they are just to get an idea of the colors they carry.
I'm asking for characteristics that help identify sex, like body size, or if I'm on the right track looking for smaller combs and skinny legs.
For example, gold/silver on the head, saddle area, wings, etc usually means male.
 
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Im not seeing many pullets in that wad but a few cockerels

That stinks, but the photo isn't all of the birds she has available so could you be so kind as to explain what gives them away please? The buff with the dark head in the middle I think is male because I got two males just like it, and the dark brown/black ones with the light spots ended up being male. My lavender barred and barred ended up being my only females.
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redder comb and wattles will be *I guess what I would look for most. It is hard at the 7-8 wk mark as you can have some late blooming cockerels. I guess at this point, do your best and hope for all girls
Yeah, two of my boys were late. They free range with a dominant cockerel and when I brought my 6 home in July at 16 weeks two hit puberty and two repressed/flushed.
 
That stinks, but the photo isn't all of the birds she has available so could you be so kind as to explain what gives them away please? The buff with the dark head in the middle I think is male because I got two males just like it, and the dark brown/black ones with the light spots ended up being male. My lavender barred and barred ended up being my only females.
View attachment 3254033
The 2 in front look like pullets and the one in the back is definitely a roo

It depends on the breeds, but roosters will get reddish splotches around their wings and heads. Roosters will also have shinier feathers than the hens. Comb and wattle size is also a factor.

Since they are younger, I would recommend getting ones with the smallest combs (not red either) and check for any stray red feathers around the back and tops of their wings
 
The 2 in front look like pullets and the one in the back is definitely a roo

It depends on the breeds, but roosters will get reddish splotches around their wings and heads. Roosters will also have shinier feathers than the hens. Comb and wattle size is also a factor.

Since they are younger, I would recommend getting ones with the smallest combs (not red either) and check for any stray red feathers around the back and tops of their wings
Sorry, the last photo in #7 is my flock. Yes two in front are female and the one is back is one of the subordinate males who matured slower. My birds came from the breeder I want to get more females from.
 

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