Cockrel welsummer?

[Panhandler80]

Hatched March 30, so they are 3W and 3D of age.

I have three welsummers in flock. Two appear to have much lighter backs and smaller combs. All, however, have salmon color chest. This particular bird just has a much darker back and bigger comb?

Has a fairly well defined V on top of head and still has good eyeliner, though. Although it has grown somewhat mottled.

What say the experts? Too early?

What say the experts? Too early?

 

[chickenlittle21]

Too early to guarantee any gender.

 

[sealer39]

It looks like you have one Welsummer cockerel. Welsummers develop quickly so in a couple more weeks the comb on the suspected male should be getting pretty big compared to the females.
Male Welsummers are much lighter in color than females as chicks. Do you recall if one of them was much lighter in color than the other two before they feathered out?

 

[Panhandler80]

It looks like you have one Welsummer cockerel. Welsummers develop quickly so in a couple more weeks the comb on the suspected male should be getting pretty big compared to the females.
Male Welsummers are much lighter in color than females as chicks. Do you recall if one of them was much lighter in color than the other two before they feathered out?

I really don't. I was hoping I had two welsummers and two speckled sussex. I know now that I have one SS and three welsummers... just trying to figure out how many of the three wellies might be girls. I'm afraid it may be only two. The bird in question has the salmon chest, but his back sure is a bit darker. Oh well. I took delivery of them all on April 1st. It was one of the very last full orders sent out of hatchery. Was supposed to receive 15 birds and wound up with 21. They may have been trying to get inventory down to a certain rate before basically shutting her down for a spell. If that's the case, I'm wondering if maybe a few cockerels were tossed in just to get the birds off site and shipped. There are a handful of other birds that are quite boyish looking as well. One white one with a black spot that is 20% larger than everybody else. Thinking it might be a Austra White (Black Australorp rooster and Cackle White Leghorn). Hatchery says pullets will be white with mixed black here and there... but I don't know if that means ONLY the pullets will have that, or if both sexes will.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll wind up with 15 hens when it's all said and done, but now that I have 21, it would be nice if we can keep as many as possible. The two birds I was most excited about were the SS and the Welsummers. Will be a shame to only go 3 / 4 on them, but such is life!

 

[Panhandler80]

It looks like you have one Welsummer cockerel. Welsummers develop quickly so in a couple more weeks the comb on the suspected male should be getting pretty big compared to the females.
Male Welsummers are much lighter in color than females as chicks. Do you recall if one of them was much lighter in color than the other two before they feathered out?

When they were chicks all four (one SS and the three welsummers) looked pretty much identical to me in terms of coloration and pattern. I'll go back and look at pictures here shortly from Day 1. Ehh.... no decent pictures that have all three in them. I didn't notice one being particularly more light colored than the other three.

Time will tell. I sure hope to my run and coop 100% complete by the end of next weekend. If I do, they'll be moved right at 5 weeks with heat source in coop set up but hopefully no need to use.

 

[Panhandler80]

There was DEFINITELY no color disparity as stark as what's shown here. They SS and Welsummers all looked pretty much identical.

Is the contrast always this plain to see?

http://welsummers.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-chick-pics-sexing-welsummer-chicks.html

 

[Panhandler80]

Well... Im pretty sure I saw some darker breast coloring coming in last night. This one is also way more assertive than the other two. Thinking my 2 SS hens and 2 welsummer hens are going to be 1 and 2 of each. Oh well.