Hmm, 1, 2, and 4 definitely look roo-ish to me. I have a 6 week old golden cuckoo Marans and she (pretty sure she's a she) has zero wattle/comb - looks more like your #3. Still young though!
This 5 week old Welsummer is for sure a boy isn't he? Flighty and a bit aggressive too. Hope he mellows out or we won't be keeping him.
I guess I shouldn't have named him Buckbeak...
I say pullet for the Silver laced. Even coloring and lacing all over and no red wattles. By 6 weeks my golden laced Wyandotte cockerel was very red. Boys have patchy coloring on wings and back.
Shereee- they are 2-3 weeks? Too young. But one of the things I look for is wing and tail feather development. Typically the boys get their tail feathers much later, so if you have the same breed and one gets nice long tail feathers and the other doesn't, that has been a good predictor for me...
This is my Marans chick I'm worried about too. Golden cuckoo, sexed as pullets. I think these are auto sexing but only if the genetics are clean. This is a hatchery bird so not sure what is mixed in here. Golden feathers coming in on chest and large white spot on head seem to be boy traits. 4 weeks.
Wishing4 - thanks - this hatchery guarantees 100% (I know, right?) so they will refund me. But I'm bummed because of the 7 chicks I got - the two I got to round out my colorful egg basket (this Welsummer and a Marans) are both looking roostery. I guess I they can make some pretty babies next year?
4 week old Welsummer chick. I know still young, but my experience is that orange spiky comb this young and no tail feathers is strongly predictive of boy. All the other chicks have long tail feathers. This chick had a strong dark V on head at hatch which I thought meant pullet (I ordered a...