Then I'm guessing pullet. It is a little easier for me to tell when I can watch their behavior at that age if there aren't any other obvious signs. Most of the time, I have siblings to compare to and it can be very obvious (and sometimes not) when you can compare two side by side. By 14 weeks, most of my cockerels are very definitely cockerels, they walk differently, they talk differently (my pullets bark, my cockerels are quieter). But again, this is just my experience and everyone's is different with Brahmas, a lot of it depending on the breeding of the bird. Yours is difficult to tell, the red comb and waddles are a little (like a week or maybe two) early for a pullet, but pullets develop waddles and they turn red as the hormones surge in preparation for breeding and laying.
I've read the SOP several times (not the whole thing, just the pertinent parts) and you are absolutely right, the male partridge should have red. Lustrous, rich red is the actual description that they call for. Most of the partridge that I've seen (mine included) are gold based, not red based @big medicine I know that you work a lot on the red and have had some success. What genes/breeding can provide that lustrous, rich red color and eliminate the gold? I also understand from all of the reading I do here, that you should first work on your type and then work on the colors. Would you agree with that plan?Like I said, hard to see much detail in that photo, but looks female from what I can see.
When folks buy rarer variety birds, they sometimes tend to keep birds as breeders that are weak in some facets, be it color, pattern, type, or size. Often this may be from necessity, might be the only male hatched from shipped eggs. Or sometimes these folks are new to these varieties and just don't know the finer points. And sometimes unfortunately some folks are more concerned about making a dollar than improving the variety.
Regardless of the cause, often times the traits are not as set as in the older established varieties. For example current partridge Brahma are usually lacking the deep mahogany red seen in proper partridge as in Cochins. I just passed a very dark male on to some of the top Brahma breeders who recently picked working with large fowl partridge Brahmas, who were trying to get some deeper mahogany saddles on their birds. Now this bird popped up out of my blue laced red project birds, whether he is partridge, or double laced, or something in between, I am not sure. But he does seem to be the deep red they are trying to establish in their birds.
How this bird came out of my BLR breeding pen is because I do not yet have all the particular genetic components set in all my breeders. Some may only have a single copy of a gene (two being ideal), which may still give the bird the proper appearance, and will give half of it's chicks the proper gene. Now it's the other half of the chicks that get the off gene where things can get interesting. Producing a dark breasted male from a BLR breeding, or a buff breasted bird from a partridge breeding. With careful selective breeding, and time, these traits can be set properly, and or, some of the offshoots can take off into their own projects all together.
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Probably do need to worry about him squishing the bantams. Hard to tell on the vulture hocks, looks like the wind is blowing.
