Do Pullets have "tails" and Cockerals not?

[gryeyes]

As a new member with 4 new chicks, I look for pics on BYC for comparison, adoration, amusement, education, and simply just to SEE what other folks have.

One BYC page showed RIR pullet chick with tail feathers growing, and a cockeral chick without any. Uh oh.

My Ameraucana chick has tailfeathers growing, my Plymouth Rock - Barred has tailfeathers growing, but my RIR does not.
Hillary, a girl.
Rebecca, a girl.
Rhoda? maybe not a girl?

Can anyone help confirm this? THANKS!!

 

[silkiechicken]

The speed at which feathers grow isn't a perfect way to sex chicks. Often though, if you know your stock of chicks was "feather sexed", meaning sexed by the length of pin feathers on the first day of hatch, you may be able to pick out boys in a week or so because they are slow feathering genetically... but not 100%. This is because feather sexable chicks are made by crossing a slow feathering male with fast feathering females, however, you can't compare between breeds and even different strains can be different. Just gotta wait!

 

[walkswithdog]

If it will simplify things or complicate them.

Feather sexing only works in those breeds who have been bred for slow feathering males.

So mixes it won't work on, or in lines that have never been bred for the trait.

While it often works on Rocks of all colors - it's no guarantee.

Again some lines have been bred for it, some have not.

I'm finding my mixes are pretty indeterminant. Can't tell and yet both Dels and Rocks tend to follow the pattern.

Sizzles don't, silkies don't, EEs here have not.

And there's always some idiot chicken growing out that will prove you wrong.