55 Flowery Hen chicks- help me sex the easiest autosexing breed…

[chfriedmam]

Hi, I hatched out 12 55 Flowery Hen chicks. My only white egg layers are 55FHs and so is my only rooster, so there’s no mixing going on. Can you help me decide about the grayish ones?

I already took out the five chicks that were very yellow and obviously male.

The browns are female.

But maybe some of my 55FH hens have more of the silver in their DNA? Or are those gray ones just males who have not lightened yet? When I ordered my original checks from Greenfire Farms, the males were very obvious brown, not like this.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I don't have much experience with this breed, but I see you haven't gotten an answer yet, so... My suggestion would be to mark the questionable ones, either with a leg band or wing band or some other way that will last at least until they're old enough to be sexed by development, and keep an eye on them as they grow. Regardless of how they turn out, you have your answer on them. Either way, though, I would suggest not breeding them if you were planning to continue working with the breed. My understanding with autosexing breeds is that it's best not to breed any bird that was questionable as a chick so that the autosexing nature of that breed is well maintained. Sorry I can't offer any more help than that!