Ameracauna chicks - what gender @ five weeks? (Picture heavy!)

[Sudsy Chick]

Hello everyone;

Will you please help me to figure out the genders of our chicks? Or is this too early?

This is our first time raising chicks so we're very new to all this! One thing that is a bit worriesome is that it seems most of the chicks are practicing at being roosters (seeing who is taller - play fighting?) I could just be paranoid - since we're not allowed roosters in our area.

The blue & black/splash Ameracaunas were hatched from eggs purchased from this board. They hatched on May 22/23rd, so they are five weeks old today.

Blue Ameracauna (Just one blue chick...three pictures as I really want this one to be a pullet!)
1.

2.

3.

Black/Splash (a total of five - and I can't keep track which is which so there may be duplicates! These came from the same batch of eggs as the blue above. (There is also a good photo of a black chick roosting above.)

4.

5.

6.

7.

The lighter ones below I purchased from Bothell Feed Store and I asked if they were really Ameracaunas or Easter Eggers - she said Ameracauna. Do you agree?

There are a total of three chicks. They are about a week older than the above chicks. (I would love to know what color these are as well...Buff or Wheaten? Or something else?) There are a total of three of these lighter chicks.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Thank you in advance!!!

dawn

 

[Pele]

Aw, all of your babies are adorable!

Our board members here are very trustworthy, so I wouldn't worry about your first batch, they are looking purebred. I do not see any rooish features so far with them.

Your second batch is a lovely bunch of Easter Eggers. Hatcheries and Feedstores will both claim that they are selling you either Ameraucanas or Araucanas, but are actually selling Easter Eggers. You can see in the leg-color difference alone that these are not pure Ameraucana, but rather EEs.

That being said, the only chick who is looking suspicious is the very last one. That comb is seriously pink for such a young bird.

 

[CindyJeann]

#11 looks like a EE boy and he's gonna be beautiful... I want a red/gold EE boy so bad.

 

[pips&peeps]

What color are the bottoms of your ameraucanas feet? They are too young to sex.

Your feed store birds are easter eggers. Number 8 possibly a boy, number 11 definately a boy.

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Quote:
Pele, thank you so much

I very much appreciate hearing they are not looking too "roo-ish"! And when I went to the feed store - I thought they would be EE - but the lady sounded so offended when I asked that I didn't know what to think!

Glad to know!


Quote:
Thank you CindyJeann, I wish you were closer, he'd be headed to your place!

pips&peeps :

What color are the bottoms of your ameraucanas feet? They are too young to sex.
Your feed store birds are easter eggers. Number 8 possibly a boy, number 11 definately a boy.

pips&peeps - Thank you! I don't know what the colors are on the bottom of their feet, although their legs are all dark/blackish. I will have to go home and catch one to see

Thank you for the gender calls on the lighter ones - and good to know the others are a bit young. I'll catch more pictures in a week or two.

Thank you all - this board is fantastic!

 

[Sudsy Chick]

pips&peeps :

What color are the bottoms of your ameraucanas feet? They are too young to sex.

Your feed store birds are easter eggers. Number 8 possibly a boy, number 11 definately a boy.

I checked the bottom of their feet last night and they are a yellow/tan color; but the legs and top of the feet are much darker. Does this help determine the gender at an early age? thanks so much; dawn​

 

[pips&peeps]

No, unfortunately it tells me that they are not pure ameraucanas. It means they have yellow skin. True ameraucanas have white skin and the bottoms of the feet would be white.

I asked because the feet and beaks looked very yellow in your pictures.

 

[Sudsy Chick]

pips&peeps :

No, unfortunately it tells me that they are not pure ameraucanas. It means they have yellow skin. True ameraucanas have white skin and the bottoms of the feet would be white.

I asked because the feet and beaks looked very yellow in your pictures.

Oh my...I never even questioned the hatching eggs! I will take a picture of their feet when I go to bed tonight so you can see the color. Although we're not looking to show I really did want to try to keep a pure breed. Oh well. Thanks for letting me know.​

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Here is a picture of the bottom of one of the chick's feet (I think a boy)

And here are the original hatching eggs (the two mottled ones in front were no good. They were also bright blue to begin with.)

Obviously yellow - so not Ameracauna's

Does anyone know what might they be? I did purchase them on an auction here (I believe you can see the auction in my profile?)

thanks so much;
dawn

 

[SuburbanFarmstress]

Is it possible they are Ameraucanas and the yellow feet is just a fault? Or are yellow feet an automatic disqualifier?

Either way, I feel sorry for that chick- what an undignified position to be photographed in!