Do Pullets feather in faster than Roo's?

[Bleenie]

I'm wondering if Pullets usually feather in faster than cockerals do? Is it right that the hen will grow in her back(saddle) feathers and the rooster will take much longer?
is there any more ROO-Specific charachteristics to watch for?

It's been a while since I've had chicks

 

[vkp23]

IDK but I've noticed the tail feathers. Thats how I tell whos a boy and whos a girl. The girls will begin to get a fold in the tail making it stand vertical. the boys will stay a little flat until they get older and start to grow their cock fathers. It may not be a fool proof way to tell but it's worked for me. Lot's of people say they tell by the waddles and combs. But I've noticed that some hens can have combs and waddles that are larger and darker than others. So it's too hard for me to tell. I mistook one of my hens for a roo for a while. Thats when I noticed the difference in the tail feathers of young chickens. If I see a fold that makes the tail vertical start to form than I know I have a girl. But some breeds like silkies it's really hard to tell.

 

[chickluver:D]

ok heres some info about sexing

:

the girl's egg is more round and the boy's is like a football. girls wing feathers grow faster the boys take a long time. on a roo its comb grows faster and bigger. the boys also have a bigger waddle.
and iv herd that girl chicks look like their a girl.

hope this helps

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rose

 

[gritsar]

2. Physical Characteristics (4-6 weeks of age)
a. Comb – The cockerels comb is medium size and pinkish, the pullets is small and yellowish.
b. Legs – The cockerel’s legs are sturdy and long, the pullets are finer and shorter.
c. Tail – The cockerel’s tail is stumpy and curved, the pullets is longer and straight.
d. Back – The cockerel has a thin line of stub feathers down the center of his back, the pullet has more advanced feathering along the center of her back.
e. Side of neck, flank and crop – The feathering in the cockerel in these areas is poorly advanced, the pullets feathering in these areas is well advanced.
f. Wing bows – In the cockerel the wing bows are bare, in pullets the wing bows are covered with small feathers.

3. Color-crossed chicks – Cross breeding birds of particular colors will result in male chicks having a different color down than female chicks. Here are 4 examples:
a. Mate a gold rooster (Rhode Island Red, Buff Rock, Buff Leghorn) to a hen which is silver (Light Sussex, Light Brahma, Pure White Wyandotte) and the cockerels will have a whitish grey or pale brown down and the pullets will have a reddish-brown or buff down.
b. Mate black red type roosters (Old English, Modern Game, Welsummer) to hens that are silver (Light Sussex, Light Brahma, Pure Rock) the cockerels will be grey with black and grey marking while the pullets will have brown stripes and markings.
c. Mate a non-barred, no stripes on feathers, rooster (Australorp, Black Leghorn, Rode Island Red) with a barred, stripes on feathers, hen (Plymouth Rocks, Cuckoo Leghorns) and the cockerels will have a white spot on the back of their heads and the pullets will have dark brown or black heads.
d. Mate dark legged roosters (Silkies, Minorcas, Campines) to hens with light legs (Sussex, Leghorns, Wyandottes) and the cockerels will have pale legs and the pullets will have dark legs.

 

[vkp23]

Quote:
WOW that was helpful to me! I have 5 silkie chicks that are about 6 weeks old now I will be able to tell boys from girls. Plus when my silkie babys I just got this morning I'll be able to tell sooner! Thanks!