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˜‚
 
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
 
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!!
I didnā€™t know that there is a difference between English Orpingtons and like buff Orpingtons!šŸ˜± Sorry!šŸ˜Ø
 
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.
 
The barnevelder is a pullet. The Orpington is a cockerel. If the age of the silkie is correct, then it's a cockerel. If the silkie is older (which, to me, it looks like it is), then it's a pullet.
 

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