Easter Egger Sexing "tips and tricks" *Pictures Included*

[BlessedCountry6]

Hello, I have been lurking on this thread looking at the photos of all the roos and hens. My chicks are still young but the 9 EE's I have seem to be looking like pullets so far except for one. This is the one that seems to have more splashes of color so far and the comb is looking thicker.
This is Lilly and this little chicks is twice as hard as the other chicks to catch. I am already wondering if Lilly needs a name change. lol. Thank you for the help.

 

[Dianne88]

What breed(s) on the little black and white chick?

Also, can you get a photo of the chick, from above, as it is looking forward, at it's folded wings across the back?

I have new pictures, hopefully it can give you some idea of it's gender.

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[Dianne88]

I have new pictures, hopefully it can give you some idea of it's gender.

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[Dianne88]

 

[ochochicas]

To my totally untrained eye I agree that 1 and 2 are probably cockerels. 4 looks like a pullet and I can't tell on 3.

 

[Faraday40]

Age 3 weeks
It's still early, but does anyone see probable signs of pullets or cockerels? All from the same EE rooster.


chick 1. My fav. Dad is a reddish EE & mom is a BIG gold & grey hen (her mix contains Orpington & Welsummer.)
I'm having a hard time telling if the feather coloring is boy reddish brown or pullet gold. The large comb looks 3-row-wide to me.
Prediction= boy




chick 2. Same mom & dad as #1. Narrower comb but same reddish color questions.
Prediction= boyish




chick 3. Both parents are EE. Chick hatched from green/blue egg
Prediction= boyish




chick 4. Same parents as chicks 1&2 My daughter talked me into adding an extra egg from our fav hen. We pulled this one out of the fridge & incubated it. Her/His name is Omelet because that was supposed to be her destiny.
Prediction= female




chick 5. Both parents EE. Chick hatched from green/blue egg
Prediction= boyish



Chick 6. Mom is a white EE / egg-laying machine & Dad is brown. Chick is mostly black. How???
Prediction= female

 

[LadyCluck77]

I suspect your chick is likely a BCM x EE. It's hard to say, because we aren't sure of the exact lineage, if these will hold with the traditional feather-sex traits. However, I generally find with my Marans x EE mix chicks that the females do feather quicker, and at the one week mark the feathers coming in as you look at the closed folded wings tend to be in three rows on females and two rows on males. If you have several siblings, it makes it easier to compare the boys from the girls.
In your original feather pictures, I would lean towards female, that said.

 

[debid]

I don't really know anything about feather sexing, but have heard that only particular breeds, carrying the proper genes, bred in the right way, can be feather sexed.  My understanding is that it does not work for most breeds.  Others who know more can correct me.  They're awfully cute chicks.

Feather sexing
A gene influencing rate of growth of wing primary feathers is located on the X chromosome. The allele for slow growth of primary feathers is dominant to the allele for fast feather growth. When a fast feathering rooster is mated to a slow feathering hen, male chicks are slow feathering and female chicks are fast feathering.
The difference is readily apparent and allows large numbers of male and female chicks to be separated quickly with a minimum of labor. Breeders must maintain genetic uniformity for the pertinent alleles in their male and female parent lines, to take advantage of the opportunity to feather-sex chicks.

It's only done for production hybrids because it takes lots of volume for the cost savings of having novice sexers sort them (as opposed to more expensive, highly trained vent sexers) to cover the cost of maintaining the breeding program.

The part that complicates matters is the anecdotal evidence from folks experienced in breeding a particular line. If you know two chicks have the same genetics for feathering rate, the males will tend to be incrementally slower. But taking randomly bred chicks and comparing them to each other? Might as well dangle a ring on a string.

 

[debid]

Chick 6. Mom is a white EE / egg-laying machine & Dad is brown. Chick is mostly black. How???
Prediction= female

I blame the hen. Dominant white hides black.

 

[polarbearpilot]

Hello, I have been lurking on this thread looking at the photos of all the roos and hens. My chicks are still young but the 9 EE's I have seem to be looking like pullets so far except for one. This is the one that seems to have more splashes of color so far and the comb is looking thicker.
This is Lilly and this little chicks is twice as hard as the other chicks to catch. I am already wondering if Lilly needs a name change. lol. Thank you for the help.

I agree. Lilly needs a name change.