bantam frizzled cochin - 14 weeks old - gender bender?!

[technodoll]

OK it appears I need your expert help for this case...

I thought I had it all figured out that little Frankie was a cockerel, as his comb & wattles have always looked different from those of his sister, Frannie.

But after reading other posts on frizzled cochins, apparently by this age boys have pretty big combs and wattles, which Frankie doesn't have...

Also, I just took pics of them both, side-by-side, and Frannie has the same sized comb and wattles as Frankie but hers are blue, not pink, so they don't show as much.

They are 14 weeks old now - is Frankie really a boy??

Here he is with his sister Frannie - she's on the right:

 

[Meghalu]

I think it is a pullet, I have a black frizzle cochin about the same age and her comb and wattles look very similar to your Frankie's. Maybe the sister is just a late bloomer?

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
well, the sister's are the same size only in dark blue, so it's harder to see...

both are the same size and weight and everything...

 

[teach1rusl]

Hmmm...until I saw the comparison, I def. would have guessed pullet. Of my silkie pullets, one's face and comb was very (dark) reddish, while the others' combs stayed dark. Wonder if that's what is going on here?? I would just think the comb size would be much different in size by this time if it was male.

 

[Hegatha]

Pullet!

 

[hokankai]

I think it's a pullet. My frizzle was very obviously a boy very early on.

This is Frizz at 4 or 5 weeks old?

 

[satay]

i would say pullet.

 

[technodoll]

OK I don't know what's going on, but I went to hold one in each hand and Frannie, the obvious pullet, weighs twice as much as the other one...

She's much livelier too.

Frankie (the one in question) seems to be ill, head tucked into shoulders and not as active as the others.... very thin, weighs nothing, his keel bone is sharp against the palm of my hand.

So he might after all be a boy, just a sick one who's not developing right and will weaken and eventually die

 

[Meghalu]

Check them for mites and lice. I had a Brahma that was not developing and was really skinny, lethrgic, etc. I figured out it was mites too late to save her, but the rest of the flock needed to be treated. I heavy mite load can kill a bird, they suck them dry.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
I checked them all over and everyone's super clean, I dewormed them in case they had internal parasites - everyone in the bantam flock is thriving, only little Frankie isn,t doing well, she's skin and bones and just sits there in a little puffy ball all day :-(

Might be a case of malabsorption of food - I'm now adding a vitamin & mineral supplement to their drinking water and crossing fingers.

The breeder confirmed Frankie is indeed a pullet - this is breaking my heart