3 week old Sapphire gem

[IvyBeans]

I know these are supposed to be sex linked, but I got her from TSC and some people are saying theirs aren’t following typical patterns.

She is the biggest and bossiest and is also being slow to feather, which worries me a bit. She also has more comb growth than the others, but they’re all different breeds so who knows.

I know it’s early, but I’d love guesses!

 

[redinator]

I know these are supposed to be sex linked, but I got her from TSC and some people are saying theirs aren’t following typical patterns.

She is the biggest and bossiest and is also being slow to feather, which worries me a bit. She also has more comb growth than the others, but they’re all different breeds so who knows.

I know it’s early, but I’d love guesses!

I wouldn't be concerned yet. I've had pullets get large combs early. I only get concerned if they're large and red at an early age.

 

[JedJackson]

The main point of Sapphire Gems is that they are sex linked. Males should have barring, and your chick does not. So it should be female.

I think the problem arises when other breeds are accidentally purchased or substituted for SGs. It is difficult to tell solid colored blue chicks of different breeds/varieties apart, so often the mistake is never realized and people will say the sex link characteristics have weakened when they really haven't.

 

[debid]

TSC has a reputation for mislabeled bins. But, I see no reason to think yours were mislabeled. They look like Sapphire Gem pullets and I would presume that is what they are.

 

[IvyBeans]

The main point of Sapphire Gems is that they are sex linked. Males should have barring, and your chick does not. So it should be female.

I think the problem arises when other breeds are accidentally purchased or substituted for SGs. It is difficult to tell solid colored blue chicks of different breeds/varieties apart, so often the mistake is never realized and people will say the sex link characteristics have weakened when they really haven't.

I hadn’t thought about the fact that some of the chicks might be mislabeled. That makes sense. I’ve just had a cockerel in my sexed pullets group before and I have 9, so statistically it’s likely one is and I want to know who! no tail feathers by 3 weeks was the biggest clue last time, so I’m paranoid, I guess.

 

[angc11]

as far as I understand it, feather sexing when they are that young really isn't reliable in most cases unless you know the feathering traits of both parents (i.e. father has fast feathering gene that passes on to female offspring and mother has slow feathering gene which passes to male offspring).

However I will just mention anecdotally, out of a hatch of 44 mixed breeds, all my chicks that had no tail feathers for the first ~4 weeks all turned out to be boys. now that wasn't true the other way around, some boys grew a tail really early, just as early has the females. so it could have just been a coincidence that all my no tails were male.

but it really is just best to wait until the comb starts to come in red. for me, that's has been the most reliable indicator when they are 6-8 weeks old.

 

[IvyBeans]

as far as I understand it, feather sexing when they are that young really isn't reliable in most cases unless you know the feathering traits of both parents (i.e. father has fast feathering gene that passes on to female offspring and mother has slow feathering gene which passes to male offspring).

However I will just mention anecdotally, out of a hatch of 44 mixed breeds, all my chicks that had no tail feathers for the first ~4 weeks all turned out to be boys. now that wasn't true the other way around, some boys grew a tail really early, just as early has the females. so it could have just been a coincidence that all my no tails were male.

but it really is just best to wait until the comb starts to come in red. for me, that's has been the most reliable indicator when they are 6-8 weeks old.

Yeah, hopefully she gets more tail feathers in the next week and that comb doesn’t get pinker.

 

[angc11]

Yeah, hopefully she gets more tail feathers in the next week and that comb doesn’t get pinker.

Keep us updated! I am curious to know the results