Mottled Cochin Bantams

[ShellLea]

Does anyone have any tips for sexing these chicks? I've looked and can't seem to find any info anywhere!

 

[ShellLea]

Anybody? Help?

 

[barredrock474]

Give me picures I might be able to tell. But bantams are hard to tell. You can only predict.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Actually, I've been able to sex most of my Cochins around 4-6 weeks old. There can be one that's tricky, but usually boys are obvious. Especially if you have more than one or two. You should post pics if they're anywhere near that age, we could probably help

 

[ShellLea]

Not even close to that age! Just about a week and a half old now. So far with guessing my Roos I'm 4 for 4 and had them picked out by two weeks of age. I'm pretty sure the Welsummer are 4 boys and two girls. I'm guessing the same for the Mottled Cochins. If you two have any tips I would appreciate it, but as of right now I can't get photos to load on my iPad.

BTW, what I'm looking at with the Mottled Cochin Bantams is a stark difference in the black markings on the top of the head and the back. The ones with more defined markings seem a little more roo like in behavior. It's not really important as I am allowed to have roosters and my neighbor looks forward to the crowing. But I do have a pretty good record for a newbie at guessing which is which, and I'm wondering how far off I am with these little ones.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Oh, you're still in the wait and worry stage

I've found that with my Cochins (bantam and LF) that if you're thinking its a cockerel, it usually is. I don't think there's anyway to sex them by color, I've seen both mottled roosters and hens with lots of white and without. Look for the same boyish gender traits as other breeds (big, red combs, saddle and hackle feathers and of course, crowing). With my Cochin cockerels, their combs always gave them away. They were usually so obviously big and red by 4-6 weeks that they were easily pegged as boys. I did have one standard sized hen that bamboozled me (she ended being my all time favorite Cochin hen, a real beauty!). She got a large comb and went into my bachelor pen as a chick. When I was deciding which cockerels to keep back for breeding, I noticed that she was a hen. It was a nice surprise! Anyway, you'll know for sure in a few weeks most likely. Good luck with them!

 

[ShellLea]

Oh, you're still in the wait and worry stage

I've found that with my Cochins (bantam and LF) that if you're thinking its a cockerel, it usually is. I don't think there's anyway to sex them by color, I've seen both mottled roosters and hens with lots of white and without. Look for the same boyish gender traits as other breeds (big, red combs, saddle and hackle feathers and of course, crowing). With my Cochin cockerels, their combs always gave them away. They were usually so obviously big and red by 4-6 weeks that they were easily pegged as boys. I did have one standard sized hen that bamboozled me (she ended being my all time favorite Cochin hen, a real beauty!). She got a large comb and went into my bachelor pen as a chick. When I was deciding which cockerels to keep back for breeding, I noticed that she was a hen. It was a nice surprise! Anyway, you'll know for sure in a few weeks most likely. Good luck with them!

I love love love your screen name!

Sexing chicks is actually more of a running bet with my father-in-law, (who I have mentioned in the "Dumbest Things People Have Said thread). With the batch of standards he told me that I had more roos than hens and he was positive that all of my EEs were boys. I only ordered one EE male, the other 15 were female. The only straight run birds I ordered was 4 Dominique's and of course 3 are male. He told me those were all boys as well. He got huffy and decided to bet on it so when my girls start laying he has to buy eggs from me instead of the store. His wife and doctor are quite happy about that!

So the running joke with my bantams is that we need to get another bet going. I think that I am going to stick with my original 4 picks for hens, which I must say is pretty disappointing out of 12 chicks. Now to figure out what exactly the bet will be, and figure out which bantams to order next!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Haha, thanks! I have some pretty funky chickens, so it seemed pretty fitting

If you really want to get a bet going, get some Silkies. Good luck sexing those little boogers!