5 weeks old, all cockerels?

[Altairsky]

So my broody hatched 100% pullets last year and this year I'm expecting math to run its course.
These chicks are:
2 Legbar x duckwing araucana ee
2 Legbar x salmon faverolle ee
You can tell by the comb which is which.

I have a feeling they're all males. What do you think?

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not a rooster specialist. But you have what you have,,, and nothing will change that.
Here is my view about extra roosters. (they are cockerels until a year old)
Raise them in a loving manner, and when time comes,, well, rooster has one bad moment. Still lived a loving life.
You may have to show some closeups to more rooster knowledgeable visitors here.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Altairsky]

Yeah, they're gonna be turned into chicken paella, no tear cried. The good thing about letting broodies raise their feral chicks is that it's easier to not get emotionally attached to them. They live the best life possible and then make the best meal possible.
Last year I had enough females so I could sell 1 boy + 2 girls, and all boys were rehomed (even the last one - I was already tasting him - got a last minute call, luckiest rooster on the planet).

I'll post more closeups as soon as I manage to catch them.
The sooner I know if they really are all males, the better, because I need to hatch 2 pullets this season, for my breeding project, so if they're all males I need to incubate another batch sooner than later.

 

[JedJackson]

Why do you think they're all males? I'm seeing no signs of that at this stage. In the first picture, the one in front, turned a little toward the camera, is definitely a pullet. She has salmon colored breast feathers. Males will have black feathers in the breast area.

 

[Altairsky]

Oh that would be a great news!
What makes me think they might be males, is that their mothers both had a very yellow comb for a long time, and these chicks shows a pink tint already.
You can see the pics of their mothers at 6 weeks on the link below, it's the first and the last birds.
I'll try to take better pics as soon as I have the chance to catch them.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...r-and-what-the-heck-is-the-first-one.1631180/

 

[Twilia]

Two cockerels, two females.
Like @cavemanrich points, providence gives you whatever and you just deal with it.

_Twilia;-)

 

[WingItRanch]

Hmm. I actually think all pullets at this point.

 

[Altairsky]

I can't believe they're all pullets.
My broody hatched all pullets last year (6/6) and this year, again all pullets (4/4)...
They're 6 weeks old now and if there was a male, his comb should stand out by now, even pea combed ones.
Now I'm genuinely scared for when Murphy's law hits lol.

...And another year with no rooster dinner. Dang. Looks like I can't taste my own birds. We'll see what happens next broody time!

As for the pinkish tint that was absent in their mothers, I believe it depends on the diet. Their mothers were raised in a brooder and only ate chick starter.
These chicks are feral and I have no idea what they eat. Last year the feral chicks that free ranged also had a pinkish comb compared to the incubator ones, so it might be what they eat that gives them a pinker comb at young age.

 

[Altairsky]

Update at 6 weeks!

 

[Altairsky]

All girls then? Doubts on 2 maybe?