šŸ™‹ā€ā™€ļø Sexing questions on three juveniles

ladybrasa

Songster
Jun 13, 2020
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Virginia, USA
I thought I generally had it figured out, but then I had to go and get some breeds that Iā€™m not sure about. I would like to find out definitively or know what to look for to know for sure and around when, as boys will go to freezer camp.

1) I somehow ended up hatching a Silver Double-laced Barnevelder bantam. I had requested standards, along with some other breeds, and just thought the egg was a smallish Brabanter, until it hatched! Iā€™m thinking female. I see no saddles and at the moment is female patterned. However I read somewhere that gender coloration in barnies might show up later. Also I have no idea if banties mature slower or faster than standards? S/he is about four months old and tiny!

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2) Chocolate Gold-laced Orpington from eggs from Papaā€™s poultry. Only one made it to hatch. S/he is about 3 months old. I think I read somewhere that breeder English Orps mature slower?? I also have two hatchery buff orps (I know, not really comparable) that were crowing at 6 weeks. I canā€™t make out any saddles, but the feathers are a bit tatty (is this connected to choco coloring?). The comb is redd-ish (looks brighter than it is in the pic), but not bright red like the other similar age birds. Iā€™ve also had pullets that red at that age last year, so Iā€™m not that convinced from comb color alone.
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3) Finally the hard one: a hefty four-toed hatchery silkie that was a ā€˜fillerā€™ to meet the TSC minimum. I really have no idea how to even start to tell. AND of course I forgot to note when I purchased this one and the others ā€¦ Iā€™m think about 10 weeks or so? Probably much too early, but what will I be looking for?

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Thank you for any input!!
 

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Is it a barnevelder bantam or is that just how they are? All of my 5 chicks are bantam sized!šŸ¤£ I think your barnevelder is a female and so cute too!šŸ˜ I think your Orpington also looks like a pullet! One of my buff Orpingtons has those kinds of feathers too! I was thinking it was just a random Orpington thing? Iā€™m not even going to try with the silkie!šŸ˜¬ Iā€™m not too good at telling with those!šŸ˜‚
 
I thought I generally had it figured out, but then I had to go and get some breeds that Iā€™m not sure about. I would like to find out definitively or know what to look for to know for sure and around when, as boys will go to freezer camp.

1) I somehow ended up hatching a Silver Double-laced Barnevelder bantam. I had requested standards, along with some other breeds, and just thought the egg was a smallish Brabanter, until it hatched! Iā€™m thinking female. I see no saddles and at the moment is female patterned. However I read somewhere that gender coloration in barnies might show up later. Also I have no idea if banties mature slower or faster than standards? S/he is about four months old and tiny!

View attachment 2784670

2) Chocolate Gold-laced Orpington from eggs from Papaā€™s poultry. Only one made it to hatch. S/he is about 3 months old. I think I read somewhere that breeder English Orps mature slower?? I also have two hatchery buff orps (I know, not really comparable) that were crowing at 6 weeks. I canā€™t make out any saddles, but the feathers are a bit tatty (is this connected to choco coloring?). The comb is redd-ish (looks brighter than it is in the pic), but not bright red like the other similar age birds. Iā€™ve also had pullets that red at that age last year, so Iā€™m not that convinced from comb color alone.
View attachment 2784672

View attachment 2784673
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3) Finally the hard one: a hefty four-toed hatchery silkie that was a ā€˜fillerā€™ to meet the TSC minimum. I really have no idea how to even start to tell. AND of course I forgot to note when I purchased this one and the others ā€¦ Iā€™m think about 10 weeks or so? Probably much too early, but what will I be looking for?

View attachment 2784684
View attachment 2784685

View attachment 2784689

View attachment 2784687
View attachment 2784691


Thank you for any input!!
I didnā€™t know that there is a difference between English Orpingtons and like buff Orpingtons!šŸ˜± Sorry!šŸ˜Ø
 
Thanks for the tag @JustBabyMargo. I am a silkie sexing expert by no means, just an area of interest and practice with my own birds.šŸ˜Š
The barnevelder is a pullet.
I have had one Laced English Orp and they do mature very slowly. The coloring on yours, @ladybrasa is stunning! Papa's has so many project colors they are working on.
This one looks like a cockerel to me. The comb seems large and wattle too for the age. I can tag @ColtHandorf and @Faraday40, they are the English Orp experts. See if they can chime in as well.
Your silkie, if it is only 10 weeks old, appears to be male. I see wattles coming in already, which I would not expect in a pullet this age. Can you get a close up of the comb with crest pushed back? šŸ˜Š
 
Also looks like the silkie could use a little beak trim. Mine get that way, too. I also have to trim their nails now and then. They do not wear down the way the standard breeds do for some reason. šŸ˜Š
 
The Barnevelder is a pullet and the Orpington a cockerel. The Silkie is a pullet so far. I believe when the Silver Double Laced Barnevelders were originally imported years back, it was only in the bantam variety and the large fowl variety a good few years later. Often times I felt like it was very unclear in listings that they weren't large fowl! This may have lead to confusion from your breeder. My English Orpington cockerel started getting sex specific feathering at about 11 weeks but developed full on saddles later on :)
 
Ehhh, the silkie and a few others have beaks and nails on the longish side. At the moment they do not go outside (donā€™t have a separate pen and it would be chaos with my adults, plus the boys will be going to the freezer soon enough ā€¦). Do you think a flock block would be helpful? Those things can be pretty hard and hopefully be entertaining.

As for the silkie - if I had three hands I might be able to get a pulled back crest shot, but itā€™s a bit skittish. In one of the images above I licked my finger and ā€˜cow-lickedā€™ away the fluff from the comb, that might be all I can get :oops:

*sigh* makes sense on the Orp about the wattles, but I so hope youā€™re wrong! Sorry. Itā€™s really pretty and the only one that made it through a hatch with several problems.
 
I thought I generally had it figured out, but then I had to go and get some breeds that Iā€™m not sure about. I would like to find out definitively or know what to look for to know for sure and around when, as boys will go to freezer camp.

1) I somehow ended up hatching a Silver Double-laced Barnevelder bantam. I had requested standards, along with some other breeds, and just thought the egg was a smallish Brabanter, until it hatched! Iā€™m thinking female. I see no saddles and at the moment is female patterned. However I read somewhere that gender coloration in barnies might show up later. Also I have no idea if banties mature slower or faster than standards? S/he is about four months old and tiny!

View attachment 2784670

2) Chocolate Gold-laced Orpington from eggs from Papaā€™s poultry. Only one made it to hatch. S/he is about 3 months old. I think I read somewhere that breeder English Orps mature slower?? I also have two hatchery buff orps (I know, not really comparable) that were crowing at 6 weeks. I canā€™t make out any saddles, but the feathers are a bit tatty (is this connected to choco coloring?). The comb is redd-ish (looks brighter than it is in the pic), but not bright red like the other similar age birds. Iā€™ve also had pullets that red at that age last year, so Iā€™m not that convinced from comb color alone.
View attachment 2784672

View attachment 2784673
View attachment 2784674

3) Finally the hard one: a hefty four-toed hatchery silkie that was a ā€˜fillerā€™ to meet the TSC minimum. I really have no idea how to even start to tell. AND of course I forgot to note when I purchased this one and the others ā€¦ Iā€™m think about 10 weeks or so? Probably much too early, but what will I be looking for?

View attachment 2784684
View attachment 2784685

View attachment 2784689

View attachment 2784687
View attachment 2784691


Thank you for any input!!
Orp is a cockerel, the silkie is a pullet.
 

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