That's good to know. I learned my lesson about rehoming young chicks my first hatch. I regret it now. I planned to grow this guy out anyway, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't a sign of some future feather color issues that should be nipped right now.
Out of all the ones I hatched I had one with the 3 lined comb! The feathers were skinnier looking too! I told the buyer I thought that was a boy. The rest I believe are all girls. The ones I kept are calm tempered. They jump up in my lap already at two weeks. They stole my heart. I'd love to grow the entire hatch all out, but I don't have the room yet. We are working on it and will be finished by spring. I did have 2 with split wing and I know for a fact that does not correct itself. I have a RIR hen with split wing. They were mostly very light blue in color with the exception of the 2 black and 2 dark blue which one was a male. They buyer wanted the chicks for their blue eggs in their cartons. I have 3 in the incubator now. 2 pipped already and I hear one peeping right nowHi Nicole,
Chicks change so much as they mature. That is half the fun. I have one blue hen, who looked barred as a chick, but her mature feathers show no barring. She doesn't have show quality color though. I have never seen another blue Ameraucana with barred feathers. Most of my blue chicks show good dark edging, kind of outlining the the feather, and you want this. In fact one of the members on this thread is working on a breeding project to improve the lacing (the dark rim around blue feathers). I am going towards an all black flock, because my blues don't have the correct lacing. It will be easier to for me at this point to just work on having nice blacks.
It was my pullets we were talking about the beards showing come red color, and they didn't have leakage, just high lights from to much sun.I raise my flock organically and free range, so some fading of feathers in the sun is not surprising. I would rather live with a bit of sun damage than stop free ranging my birds. My young rooster has leakage in his hackles, but they just started showing up this month, and he hatched in Feb, it really does take a long time.
I only thin my chicks out at that stage of the ones you have pictured based on size and sex. I once read an article that said that you could improve the growth rate and size of you flock by only selecting the chicks with the biggest bone structure. The article went on to say that when they are little, you select them by how fat their heads are. The fatter the head the bigger boned and faster growing the chicks will be. So I look for fat heads (I am breeding for more growth) and look for 3 rows of dots in the combs (this always means boy). So I only cull early for small bone structured boys, because my luck has always been to hatch more boys than girls, and I am afraid I will inadvertently cull all my pullets.
. I bought 12 from this bunch, but 4 were infertile and 5 had blood rings by day 3. I was NOT happy! The carton they travelled in was filthy with bugs, dirt, and grime. Even I buy new cartons myself for my eating eggs I give away. They are cheap. I can't cull. Everyone I don't keep goes to a new home so far. I don't even know how to cull a baby and I don't know if I could without feeling guilty as heck. This is also something I'm not against either. Anyways, I'm hatching more in the spring and all from the ABC list! 
. That's another reason why I'm not worried about rehoming now, there was only 1 I questioned , but let her go at last minute. I really want blacks most of all. I have one nice one in the brooder, I hope she turns out SQ. I'm willing to fork out a few bucks this spring for a couple nice sets from the breeders list.
