Blue Laced Red Wyandotte THREAD!

[BlackwoodHollow]

All chickens have nubs on their legs , only the roosters develop, with the exception of a few breeds.

http://alishav.hubpages.com/hub/Chicken_Truths

Thank you! They all have little bumps on the backs of their legs that look to be where spurs will grow. I was worried, but it seems ridiculous to think they could ALL be cockerels.

 

[BlackwoodHollow]

Here's my beautiful girl, Cheyenne.

-Alexandra33

Stunning!

 

[Fancychooklady]

Thank you!  They all have little bumps on the backs of their legs that look to be where spurs will grow.  I was worried, but it seems ridiculous to think they could ALL be cockerels.

Your welcome, sometimes it's difficult to sort the fact from fiction.
Would hate to think that you disposed of them all thinking that they were all cockerels.

 

[BlackwoodHollow]

Your welcome, sometimes it's difficult to sort the fact from fiction.

Would hate to think that you disposed of them all thinking that they were all cockerels.

They are going to be breeders, so we wouldn't be doing that, even if they were all cockerels. I didn't want to give shades a known roo or give away my only pullet or something.

I'm going to find out why we were told that, specifically.

I can't wait for them to grow up! This is one of my top 5 favorite breeds!

 

[Lemac]

Here's my beautiful girl, Cheyenne.

-Alexandra33

Nice !

 

[Audio51]

I'm going to be ordering some chick 2016 spring I plan to order 4 BLRWs

How exciting! Where are you getting them from?

With my Columbian Wyandotte, at two weeks, you should be able to see a tiny button on the leg that will be the cockerel spur. The legs will be slightly thicker than the young pullets. Some neck feathers will show a sharp point.
It would be much easier to tell the difference at four weeks.

IN my experience, they ALL have the button. It will only develop in the cockerels though and will usually take a while to do that even with them. Cockerels of most breeds will have thicker legs, but that may not be easy to spot at that age. Some folks will "wing sex" chicks, and think they can do that with any breed, but it only works in some breeds that are specifically bred for that. They are looking for chicks that have all the wing feathers growing at one rate vs chicks with staggered growth. Many breed, you just have to wait until they start having posture changes, feather changes in the saddle/hackles or comb/wattle growth.

Here's my beautiful girl, Cheyenne.

-Alexandra33

She is GORGEOUS!!!!

Quote: I hope the person that told you they were mostly cockerels was wrong, but that is pretty common.

 

[BlackwoodHollow]

IN my experience, they ALL have the button. It will only develop in the cockerels though and will usually take a while to do that even with them. Cockerels of most breeds will have thicker legs, but that may not be easy to spot at that age. Some folks will "wing sex" chicks, and think they can do that with any breed, but it only works in some breeds that are specifically bred for that. They are looking for chicks that have all the wing feathers growing at one rate vs chicks with staggered growth. Many breed, you just have to wait until they start having posture changes, feather changes in the saddle/hackles or comb/wattle growth.

I hope the person that told you they were mostly cockerels was wrong, but that is pretty common.

I contacted Slackwater(the breeder) and she said she didn't sex them at birth but has been running about a 50/50 ratio this year, so I am hopeful. Cockerel man says he was half joking and he can't tell, but if he had to say by the wings, he would guess mostly cockerels. But I was told today that a few of them were just a few days older than the majority, so maybe that is where he was getting his numbers based on wing development.

I trust slackwater as much as you can possibly trust someone in this situation. She has an impeccable reputation and has been a pleasure to deal with throughout this whole experience.

 

[MoonAngel12]

My BLRWs have been the absolute hardest for me to sex... I have no idea why! With my first trio I kept going back and forth and at one point had convinced myself they were all cockerels. Thankfully I was wrong and had a nice trio of 1 cockerel and 2 pullets. Even now, I have some crosses from the BLRW rooster (2 generations back now, I believe) and am struggling to figure them out. The rose comb makes it that much harder...

 

[Fancychooklady]

I contacted Slackwater(the breeder) and she said she didn't sex them at birth but has been running about a 50/50 ratio this year, so I am hopeful.  Cockerel man says he was half joking and he can't tell, but if he had to say by the wings, he would guess mostly cockerels.  But I was told today that a few of them were just a few days older than the majority, so maybe that is where he was getting his numbers based on wing development.

I trust slackwater as much as you can possibly trust someone in this situation.  She has an impeccable reputation and has been a pleasure to deal with throughout this whole experience.

You'll find that people are always happy to ' hazard ' a guess, not their loss. There is always a 50% chance of guessing correctly . I prefer to wait till they are 5-6 weeks of age , at least by then it is an ' educated ' guess. I find that with all my Wyandotte colours that the wattles dropping and rednes in wattle and comb are the most reliable factors in sexing.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

I'm looking for a Blue Laced Red Wyandotte rooster. I live in Chattanooga but I drive to Nashville or Atlanta about once a week and Knoxville isn't too far a drive. Heck, for the right bird I might have to go much further but I certainly can't seem to find any in this area. I lost my rooster and I need a replacement. I've thought about calling folks that I sold to in the past but I'd rather not get a rooster that is related to my hens if possible. Here's the guy that I lost.