3 Week Old Golden Comet Feathers

[mojomaniac]

I have two golden comet chicks, and one of them (Chicken 1) is getting her wing feathers much more slowly than the other (Chicken 2). Her feathers also look more scraggly to me. Is this normal?

Both chicks were buff color with darker stripes down their backs when I first purchased them. Chicken 1 has consistently been the darker of the two.

I asked this question on a local Facebook group, and people have said she is likely a rooster! I thought the roosters were supposed to be white.

I am new to chickens, so any help is welcome.
Thank you!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Chicks feather out at different rates for many reasons. One of the most common is that they come from different hatches. So if you bought them at the feed store, they may be from slightly different hatches.

The scraggly feather growth is normal at this phase. Chicks go from cute down to ugly duckling scraggle before they feather in with beautiful adult feathers.

I'm seeing NO sign of a male. They both look to be down color of a Golden Comet. You are right these are sexable by down color at hatch. Males feather out into white with some red bleed through at the wing bows. You can't declare the scraggle at this point wing bow red.

So if they both were the red fox down (not light yellow down), they are both females.

Both look healthy. Eventually they'll both feather in. Give us some photos when they are feathered at about 8 weeks. By then you will likely see no difference in their feather growth.

Enjoy your cute chicks. Golden Comets are generally very pleasant birds that lay lovely clay pot colored eggs.

LofMc

 

[mojomaniac]

Chicks feather out at different rates for many reasons. One of the most common is that they come from different hatches. So if you bought them at the feed store, they may be from slightly different hatches.

The scraggly feather growth is normal at this phase. Chicks go from cute down to ugly duckling scraggle before they feather in with beautiful adult feathers.

I'm seeing NO sign of a male. They both look to be down color of a Golden Comet. You are right these are sexable by down color at hatch. Males feather out into white with some red bleed through at the wing bows. You can't declare the scraggle at this point wing bow red.

So if they both were the red fox down (not light yellow down), they are both females.

Both look healthy. Eventually they'll both feather in. Give us some photos when they are feathered at about 8 weeks. By then you will likely see no difference in their feather growth.

Enjoy your cute chicks. Golden Comets are generally very pleasant birds that lay lovely clay pot colored eggs.

LofMc

Thank you so much! I’ll post more pictures as they grow!

 

[Pickles918]

Hello,

I have two Golden Comet pullets and they look the same as yours. However, I do have two Black Star/Comet and one of them had I believe DELAYED FEATHERING. All my other 6 week old chicks have almost all their feathers but "CHERYL CROW"...LOL is 6 weeks old and has lost a lot of fuzz but the feathers are just starting to cover her bald spots.

Good Luck!

 

[mojomaniac]

Here are my two golden comets now at about 8.5 weeks!

 

[23kthistlethwaite]

Two pullets!