I got two little Dominant Copper chicks about a month ago. They are supposed to be from a Black Copper Marans rooster crossed with a Barred Rock hen, giving offspring which are color sexable at hatch. As I understand it, cockerels should have a white dot on their heads, pullets will not.
Neither of my two chicks had a white dot, so I assumed both were pullets. However, at about 4 weeks of age, I noticed that the one is developing a much larger comb than the other and seems to have teeny, tiny wattles coming in, which the other doesn't. I've included a couple of images below to show what I am talking about.
As you can see, the chick in the bottom image has a larger comb and wattles, noticeably different from the chick in the top image, even though they both are the same age. If I didn't know about the sex linked dot, I would certainly be thinking the second chick is a cockerel, but the absence of the dot makes me uncertain. Is is possible to get a cockerel from a Black Copper Marans rooster/Barred Rock hen crossing that does not have the white dot? Or is it more likely that I do have two pullets and one just has more pronounced comb and wattles?
I realize 4 weeks (4 1/2 now) is young for sexing. At the moment, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how sex linked characteristics work, not a definitive answer on the sex of either chick. Thanks in advance for any input!
Neither of my two chicks had a white dot, so I assumed both were pullets. However, at about 4 weeks of age, I noticed that the one is developing a much larger comb than the other and seems to have teeny, tiny wattles coming in, which the other doesn't. I've included a couple of images below to show what I am talking about.
As you can see, the chick in the bottom image has a larger comb and wattles, noticeably different from the chick in the top image, even though they both are the same age. If I didn't know about the sex linked dot, I would certainly be thinking the second chick is a cockerel, but the absence of the dot makes me uncertain. Is is possible to get a cockerel from a Black Copper Marans rooster/Barred Rock hen crossing that does not have the white dot? Or is it more likely that I do have two pullets and one just has more pronounced comb and wattles?
I realize 4 weeks (4 1/2 now) is young for sexing. At the moment, I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how sex linked characteristics work, not a definitive answer on the sex of either chick. Thanks in advance for any input!
That said, I think the only others available at the time that looked similar were Cuckoo Marans and Black Sex Links, so odds of pullets are probably in my favor in any case. The one with the larger comb also has feathered legs, which I believe is consistent with a Maran or Maran cross (though I know this trait is not exclusive to that breed). Guess I'll just have to wait for them to grow up a bit more and see if I actually got what I thought I was getting. 
