Blue Favaucana

[Ziphie]

Does anyone here have much experience when it comes to sexing blue favaucanas? I have a 4 week old and when I google the breed I don't get much useful info. I get a lot of easter egger or araucana instead. The favaucana info that does show up the chicks look nothing like mine or they are full grown hens so it makes trying to compare difficult.

I also have a standard white cochin, 2 light brahmas and 2 buff brahmas I am curious about, also 4 weeks, but I have read that brahmas are slower to develop. What wold be a good age to try and sex those?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

To me 4 weeks is too young to sex for your breeds.

Faverolles are also slow to develop.. so I wouldn't expect early development from the Favaucana.

But if that's one I see with almost NO tail development in the bottom left pic, those are always male in my experience.

Were these sexed and you're just verifying? Or straight run?

Beautiful babes they are!

 

[JedJackson]

8 weeks is the youngest for sexing, usually. The combs & wattles on your blue birds all look small, and that is a good sign if you want pullets.

 

[Ziphie]

Thanks. They were sexed but was curious. I have had some bad luck with pullets this year, 3 of my 6 from TSC ended up as cockerels and the first group of chicks I ordered had 1 cockerel and this group is making me wonder now too. I read that brahma males feather slower. I also have a 3rd group that's only 6 days and i'm hoping my bad luck doesn't continue

 

[EggSighted4Life]

8 weeks is the youngest for sexing, usually. The combs & wattles on your blue birds all look small, and that is a good sign if you want pullets.

I mostly agree, but it really depends on breed and line. MANY of my boys are showing their combs and waddles by 4 weeks old especially in my Marans and Swedish Flower.

I don't see anything screaming male just yet. Agree 8 weeks is a good starting point most of the time.

My others like Brahma, Orpington and EE... Sometimes not even until after saddle feathers start to develop!

I have gotten my share of mis sexed birds. Sometimes in larger groups like described. Throughout time though my average is on par with the 90% accuracy they claim. TSC specifically seems to have a LOT of mix ups.

 

[Ziphie]

TSC specifically seems to have a LOT of mix ups.

Would you believe this past spring the TSC near me had a whole tub of black sex link pullets, only problem was they all had that white dot on their heads

 

[JedJackson]

I mostly agree, but it really depends on breed and line. MANY of my boys are showing their combs and waddles by 4 weeks old especially in my Marans and Swedish Flower.

I don't see anything screaming male just yet. Agree 8 weeks is a good starting point most of the time.

My others like Brahma, Orpington and EE... Sometimes not even until after saddle feathers start to develop!

I have gotten my share of mis sexed birds. Sometimes in larger groups like described. Throughout time though my average is on par with the 90% accuracy they claim. TSC specifically seems to have a LOT of mix ups.

Yeah I agree. Some you can sex early, like partridge, silver penciled, silver duckwing, black breasted red. And then there's the barring difference in barred breeds. Other than that it's usually only the obvious cockerels with big pink combs and wattles that are easy to sex young. And slow developing birds can take a long time until you can be 100% certain of breed, and also oddballs like Silkies and Polish. I don't think there's really a standard age but 8 weeks is the best we can come up with for many breeds.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Would you believe this past spring the TSC near me had a whole tub of black sex link pullets, only problem was they all had that white dot on their heads

Wow, that's crazy... but I'm not surprised. I wonder if it was the hatchery that messed up and the employees just don't know the difference as many don't even have animals.

 

[drumstick diva]

Too young but hope some pullets emerge - beautiful chicks

 

[Ziphie]

Good Afternoon. Well the Favaucana is now 15 weeks old today, along with a white cochin, cream legbar, 2 light and 2 buff brahmas. I am hoping that by now with no real redness or development in anyones comb that they are indeed all pullets. I'd appreciate some expert opinions on my guesses as I have 2 weeks left report any cockerels. (I added a colored dot on the pics to correspond with the colored leg band on the brahmas)