Barnyard mix sexing, 8 weeks age. Too soon, or should I take lots of photos???

[NatJ]

Oof. I was wrong. Apologies for the confusion. I only meant to help.

Sexlinks seem to confuse a lot of people, including me when I was first learning it.

I just took some of the quotes out of my explanation post, because I realized I went way overboard quoting That looked (to me) like I was yelling at you for getting it wrong, which wasn't what I intended. I really should proofread before posting

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Sexlinks seem to confuse a lot of people, including me when I was first learning it.

I just took some of the quotes out of my explanation post, because I realized I went way overboard quoting That looked (to me) like I was yelling at you for getting it wrong, which wasn't what I intended. I really should proofread before posting

It’s fine. I was sure I knew what I was talking about, and I didn’t. That’s on me.

 

[NatJ]

It’s fine. I was sure I knew what I was talking about, and I didn’t. That’s on me.

I had a similar thing happen in another thread quite recently--I confidently explained something, and another poster pointed out a fact I didn't know. There is just so MUCH out there to learn!

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Wait - does the father still pass on one barring chromosome to each gender offspring if he’s single barred, like this one?

 

[NatJ]

at 5 weeks???

Good luck!

I think photo 1 might be a male, # 5, 6, 7 look male, and maybe #8.
I'm not sure about the others, because I'm just seeing little pictures on my screen and it's not letting me zoom in.

I probably would not be positive about any being pullets at that age, but some males can be pretty definite even that young.

As a general rule, if they all have single combs, the 1/4 with the reddest combs are definitely male, the 1/4 with the smallest pale combs are probably female, and the other 1/2 take more time

 

[NatJ]

Wait - does the father still pass on one barring chromosome to each gender offspring if he’s single barred, like this one?

No, only to half of them.

He's got barring on one Z chromosome, and not-barring on the other. It's random which Z gets copied for which chick.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Yeah, I'm taking the genetics thing in baby bites - heck, half the reason I expect to take most of these birds to 20 weeks is so I can see the comb development (to determine mom's breed) and be certain of the sexing, so I can work backwards from a number of data points and see if there is any consistency.

That and to see if I have any early laying genetics - because early layers are generally early developers all the way around, and that's needed to put meat on fast.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and you can quote ("be definitive") all you want with me - I won't take it wrong, I'm not wired to even recognize those social clues. I'm sure you've noted some tendency of mine in that direction.

Thanks @NatJ you've always been very supportive and knowledgeable in response to my flailings about.

 

[NatJ]

Yeah, I'm taking the genetics thing in baby bites - heck, half the reason I expect to take most of these birds to 20 weeks is so I can see the comb development (to determine mom's breed) and be certain of the sexing, so I can work backwards from a number of data points and see if there is any consistency.

What kinds of comb are you working with? I would expect to be able to sort out most kinds of comb by 8 weeks or less.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I think photo 1 might be a male, # 5, 6, 7 look male, and maybe #8.
I'm not sure about the others, because I'm just seeing little pictures on my screen and it's not letting me zoom in.

I probably would not be positive about any being pullets at that age, but some males can be pretty definite even that young.

As a general rule, if they all have single combs, the 1/4 with the reddest combs are definitely male, the 1/4 with the smallest pale combs are probably female, and the other 1/2 take more time

I'll do 8 week photos, like I did with these, but I'm not expecting near certainty until the 12-16 week range. and photo documenting the whole way.