9 weeks and still guessing!

[BackAcre]

Here are some updated pics of my youngest americana babies. One day I am sure they are hens, the next day positive they are roos. They are around the 9 week mark, same ages but different feather growth in their tail which has me confused. The one with the longer tail is getting more red around the face, although the other isn't far behind, so I put in an additional photo of bird #2's red face (I am holding off on names until I know if I have hens- this is my third try at getting hens in this breed!) The additional bird in the group photo is my handsome rooster Stevie, he is 14 weeks and 'roostered' early!

 

[AnimalGeek23]

Have they started crowing already?
I’m pretty sure that the second pics were Roos and the first are pullets.

 

[BackAcre]

Thanks for weighing in. That is what I am guessing too, although I am hoping I can confirm soon as I don't plan to keep any roosters (although Stevie is changing my mind every day!) With my Orpington chicks, the female grew long tail feathers early on and the rooster had a bob tail for ages - which is the exact opposite of these two, if baby1 is a hen and baby2 is a roo! The only one in my coop that is crowing so far is Stevie. He started at 10 weeks, although I had already known for weeks he was a boy. I have a buff Orpington rooster that is 12 weeks old who has yet to crow, and then atleast one of these babies that I am suspicious might be a grower as well.

 

[AnimalGeek23]

I’m a bit confused on your chickens! Super hard to tell. I’m also changIn my mind a lot about their genders...

 

[BackAcre]

If I kept a big flock I would just keep all the roosters! Since I just want a handful of laying hens, I want to figure out as early as possible which are not staying. My layers stay long term so I need to find someone who wants a rooster to keep or who sends a batch to be processed.

 

[AAchicks]

I have 2 BBS Ameraucanas that hatched in late April and then another 3 of them that hatched middle of June (so now 11 weeks old). I think the summer heat can make it difficult to tell by the comb. With the two earlier ones, it was obvious by 6 weeks that I had 2 pullets. The combs were extremely pale and there was almost no comb, not even the middle row. At this point I assumed it would be easy to tell early on pullet from roo for Ameruacanas, but nope! With the second batch (the summer group), I thought I had it pinned down at 5 weeks old to 2 pullets and one roo based on comb development, but right at 6 weeks, they all start developing combs down the middle row and getting thicker combs near the top and of course turning dark pink/red. I still go out a couple times a week and look at them and wonder even now at 11 weeks To add, 2 of those are black and only one is blue, so only one I will be able to look for the dark wing bar.

Patience, patience, patience

 

[BackAcre]

AAchicks, what/when/where do you look for the dark wing bar? At 13 weeks I saw a difference in my older rooster's feathering, in the sense that it started to get dark and shiny, is that what you mean? It seems to be all over him though, not just one section. You described the summer types of combs perfectly! I could tell with the first guy early as his comb seemed to widen and make a deep V and start to blush pink, then you could see rows starting to form. With these ones, I can just see single rows so far but they seem much much pinker than I was expecting. Maybe they are just sunburned?!

 

[AAchicks]

You can actually see the dark bar on your confirmed rooster. I’m not sure on what age, it can vary by breed. The dark bar is the give away, but the dark splotches all over the body can definitely be there in addition to the wing bar.

 

[AAchicks]

As far as the comb goes, it is vascularized, meaning there is blood flow. I haven’t looked in to the research yet, but perhaps the heat of the summer increases blood flow and therefore increases red color and growth?

The comb development (size and color) was just something I noticed in my very limited experience when comparing chicks of the same genetics growing at different times of the year. In this case of the ameraucanas, with it being my first experience with them and such a limited number, with my luck all 3 chicks from the summer batch are actually roos!

 

[BackAcre]

I was just hoping for atleast one hen from these babies - the farmer sent me with 2 to increase my odds! I am brand new to chickens and I have decided that raising chicks is not the faint of heart, what with all this guesswork. However, I wanted specific breeds and I was only able to get them as youngsters, so I am still waiting to find out if I got my blue Americana hen!