Dominique question and treat question

[mistylady]

I was watching the baby chicks yesterday and I noticed that some of them are getting almost white chests. These all seem to have the lighter legs also (except one who has dark legs). Can I assume these lighter chicks are roos safely? They were hatched August 18th. Also some have very white feathers coming in on the very bottom edge of the wing.

And why are these chicks such chow hounds compared to my last batch?! I have to refill the feeder three times a day! When you pick them up they are round bellied! Very cute! They aren't bloated or anything just very pudgy looking. Is there something that I can give chicks so young as a treat to snack on? Maybe some hardboiled egg? I waited a month before I gave my other batch egg but they weren't near as food oriented as these chicks are.

Thank you!

 

[gritsar]

I can't answer your coloring question because I don't know the breed very well.
As for treats, some chopped hard-boiled egg or some plain yogurt would be fine.

 

[mistylady]

Thank you Gritsar! I'll hardboil them some eggs tonight.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

Sexing Dominique Chicks
Last updated: May 5, 2006
Equally reliable is the sexing of chicks based on the shape of the light colored spot on the top of the chick’s head. As reported by F.P. Jeffrey, at hatching the male head spot, for the most part, is larger and more scattered than the one on the female which tends to be small (though not always) and more compact -- free of black areas -- see photographss below.
The shank on the right is light throughout and is from a male chick. The one on the left is on a female--note how dark it is These are a group of female chicks. Notice the white spots are small and concentrated. The one of the far right would probably be the most difficult to be sure of, however, due to the relatively small size of the spot and the color on the beak and legs, it was determined to be a pullet. This is a group of male chicks. Notice the wide assortment of head spots, most of which could be described as scattered. The second chick from the left might fool the novice, however notice the white frosting that is on the back of the head, think of this as part of the spot. In a study of Barred Plymouth Rocks whose genetics for barring came from its Dominique ancestry, it is reported that when 73 chicks were sexed using a combination of shank color and head spots, 29 were classified as females. Mr. F.P. Jeffrey further reported that all were sacrificed and there were no errors. Using a combination of shank color and head spot size and distribution it is possible for breeders to determine the chicks' sex with a high degree of accuracy.

There is one final word of caution however. The above photos are of chicks from the same strain Dominiques. If you are comparing chicks from more than one source you should place more emphasis on the head-spot method as the various strains have a high degree of variability in leg color.

 

[mistylady]

Thank you RChicks! I was looking at chicks tonight and I had thought I had mainly gals but now I think there's more roos than ladies. They're all pretty cute!

 

[Daycare Mom]

My Dominique chicks are just one month old and you can really tell the roo from the hens. He is much lighter and has much more distinct stripes/colors. He isn't really that much bigger than the girls, just alot lighter. Very cute, thats for sure.