Pullets or Roos? SLW, Buffs & Ancona

[Brandi H]

I have 4 chicks and they are about 10 weeks. I have 2 buffs (which I think are hens), a SLW and an Ancona. My Ancona's feathers have a pretty green sheen in the sunlight which was hard to get a picture of. Any opinion on whether I have pullets/roos would be appreciated!








ciated!

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

All 4 appear to be pullets

 

[Brandi H]

Thanks so much! That was what I was hoping for =)

 

[Griffinsong]

Looks to me like you have at least 3 pullets, but the SLW does look a bit red in the face to me. Wyandottes can be tricky but at 10 weeks I'd be suspicious of that one being a cockerel. A better picture of his/her face would help determine.

Your black bird appears to be a Minorca[if the feet are more yellowish under the slate] or a Black Andalusian[if they are more pink under the slate], not an Ancona, as Anconas start out mostly white, with black blotches on the back and back of head.

It'll be easier to tell when she grows out as Minorcas have bigger combs/earlobes, and are larger than Andalusians.

 

[Brandi H]

My black chicken, Pepper, has white feathers coming in on the underside of the wings and is more white under the slate. I've wondered if she was really an Ancona or not. As a chick Pepper was white/black and turned all dark by about 4 weeks. I've also included a close up of our SLW.

 

[fshinggrl]

I've also included a close up of our SLW.
This picture looks like a cockerel with that red comb. Something to watch for sure...

 

[Griffinsong]

The Wyandotte appears to me to be a cockerel. The comb is very red. Size of comb is not so much an indicator in Wyandottes[though this one's huge, too], because hens can get fairly big combs early but the color is. There's also quite a bit of wattle for 10 weeks.

Black chickens start out black and white as chicks, and as they grow they can still have a few stray white feathers in the wings. Definitely looks like a black bird, and not a mottled like an Ancona, though. Mottled birds have large black blotches on a white base until they are adults. They would look very similar as chicks.

I'm thinking she is an Andalusian, her starting ear lobes are white and she has the build of a mediterranean type breed. They are supposed to be blue but because blue does not breed true you can get black and splash varieties, too

Either way, she looks like a pullet. The comb is a bit large compared to other breeds but these type of breeds naturally have big combs for both sexes.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

Wow the SLW looks like a completely different chicken in the face shot. The body looks female, no extra silver over the shoulders but the face definitely looks male. Hmm maybe he'll just get silver closer to maturity. My BLRW cockerel already had his shoulder patches at 8 wks of age.

 

[Brandi H]

I update the pictures in a couple of weeks!