Can you tell at 4 weeks? 3 Pix

[Gindee77]

This is Abbie, my favorite EE chick.

I hope she's a pullet!! I don't want to have to change her name to Abner because then she'll have to go bye-bye!

Any hope?

 

[hcammack]

plenty of hope she is to young to tell her sex.

Henry

 

[Gindee77]

Thanks Henry, I was hoping the blunt feathers beginning to grow around her neck and her flat, non-red comb and no wattles would be a clue...Sigh...I'll just keep hoping.

 

[speckledhen]

Well, Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas really don't have wattles to speak of, so that's not a good indicator. Width of the comb and the three ridges standing up as opposed to the center one alone is maybe the first indication, then the pink starts coming in.

 

[Gindee77]

I'd heard about the 3 ridges but I wasn't sure which way they ran. So, they run parallel to the beak? How soon before they ridges show up good?

Sorry to keep bugging you guys, I'm just so anxious to figure out who's who since I have to get rid of the roos. I know you all get attached to your chicks too and I'm sure you understand my angst! I'm totally attached to three of them. I know one is a female for sure since she's a Golden Comet sex-link, but the other two are a mystery!

I promise I won't post pix of my chicks again until after they turn 5 weeks old, or until they have more signs of what they are. (Isn't that when they are more apparently boys or girls?)

 

[speckledhen]

This pic shows the three ridges plainly so you can see what you're looking for. Not all have as plain a comb as this boy does, but it gives you the idea:

 

[Gindee77]

That's a great example!!

I am going to save this photo and use it to compare as the days go by. So far it appears that all my EE chicks have only one ridge, but I'm sure it changes with time. I have a couple (the two I have been sure were boys from the start) that have pretty thick combs coming in. They look much thicker than the other EEs' combs. I haven't noticed the three ridges but will keep looking for them!

Thanks a million SpeckledHen!

I really appreciate your knowledge, once again!! How long have you been "into" chickens, anyway?