Eggs in incubator day 19

[SweetieChicken234]

They are super cute. I'll add some more pictures of them tmw. I have a really mixed batch of silkies and bantams and no 2 chicks are the same! They're so pretty
Just trying my hardest to care for them properly and kept them healthy.

My favorites are my Delaware x Gold Laced Wyandotte crosses. Their chipmunk type pattern just does me in. I suspect most are males unfortunately.

 

[Companihen]

My favorites are my Delaware x Gold Laced Wyandotte crosses. Their chipmunk type pattern just does me in. I suspect most are males unfortunately.

Why do you suspect they're males? How can you tell at this stage? I'm desperate to know what I have in my little bunch of 12... but really don't know! Be free to take a guess from my pics

 

[Companihen]

Added a little perch and a clump of grass for enrichment today. After much squeaking and squawking they begun to investigate

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Why do you suspect they're males? How can you tell at this stage? I'm desperate to know what I have in my little bunch of 12... but really don't know! Be free to take a guess from my pics

Well.. I know this is not super accurate but I am watching the wings and tail feathers. My eggs from the leghorn have fast feathering gene. Those "girls" have feathered very rapidly. My eggs from my Delaware and Wyandottes have slow feathering gene. The "girls" are feathering slower than the fast feathering ones but the males are feathering very very slow. I have only 1 Wyandotte mix that is feathering the same as my pure Delawares. Therefore I have suspicion that most of my Wyandotte mixes are males. This is not going to be 100% accurate but it gives me some ideas. I could be wrong. I don't care either way because I hold and love all of them no matter girl or boy. My favorite most cuddly one is a suspected male.

I have 2 that are from the same mother hen(Wyandotte). One is feathering faster and one is feathering slower. My neighbor kept 2 of their siblings from the same mother hen..both are feathering very very slow. We suspect there is 1 female and 3 brothers.
I will post some pictures of slow and faster feather siblings so you can see what I mean.

The "female" has a good bit more wing than the "male". He just has some wing tips essentially.

 

[Companihen]

Well.. I know this is not super accurate but I am watching the wings and tail feathers. My eggs from the leghorn have fast feathering gene. Those "girls" have feathered very rapidly. My eggs from my Delaware and Wyandottes have slow feathering gene. The "girls" are feathering slower than the fast feathering ones but the males are feathering very very slow. I have only 1 Wyandotte mix that is feathering the same as my pure Delawares. Therefore I have suspicion that most of my Wyandotte mixes are males. This is not going to be 100% accurate but it gives me some ideas. I could be wrong. I don't care either way because I hold and love all of them no matter girl or boy. My favorite most cuddly one is a suspected male.

I have 2 that are from the same mother hen(Wyandotte). One is feathering faster and one is feathering slower. My neighbor kept 2 of their siblings from the same mother hen..both are feathering very very slow. We suspect there is 1 female and 3 brothers.
I will post some pictures of slow and faster feather siblings so you can see what I mean.

The "female" has a good bit more wing than the "male". He just has some wing tips essentially.

Ah ok, that is really interesting, I definitely have some faster feathering ones than others. I'll take stock of this on them and watch how they progress. Of course at just a week in it really doesn't matter... and I'll know I'll have and enjoy them all for lots of months yet.
Just long term I can't keep lots of cockerels!

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Ah ok, that is really interesting, I definitely have some faster feathering ones than others. I'll take stock of this on them and watch how they progress. Of course at just a week in it really doesn't matter... and I'll know I'll have and enjoy them all for lots of months yet.
Just long term I can't keep lots of cockerels!

Same problem. I can't keep lots of cockerels. I have my daddy roo and I really can't keep another male. I've tried keeping multiples and they always fight. I see you added a perch. Lol I built one actually just like that and put it in. My favorite little boy used that to try and jump out of the brooder lol little stinker. I told him he needs to grow more feathers first.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Same problem. I can't keep lots of cockerels. I have my daddy roo and I really can't keep another male. I've tried keeping multiples and they always fight. I see you added a perch. Lol I built one actually just like that and put it in. My favorite little boy used that to try and jump out of the brooder lol little stinker. I told him he needs to grow more feathers first.

Here's one of the pure Delawares. Suspected female. She has much more wing feathers than any of the Wyandotte mixes.

 

[Companihen]

Here's one of the pure Delawares. Suspected female. She has much more wing feathers than any of the Wyandotte mixes.

So so nice. I'll update with some wing feather comparison photos sometime.

I do have a few different breeds though so will need to consider that in this little theory

 

[pennyJo1960]

Well.. I know this is not super accurate but I am watching the wings and tail feathers. My eggs from the leghorn have fast feathering gene. Those "girls" have feathered very rapidly. My eggs from my Delaware and Wyandottes have slow feathering gene. The "girls" are feathering slower than the fast feathering ones but the males are feathering very very slow. I have only 1 Wyandotte mix that is feathering the same as my pure Delawares. Therefore I have suspicion that most of my Wyandotte mixes are males. This is not going to be 100% accurate but it gives me some ideas. I could be wrong. I don't care either way because I hold and love all of them no matter girl or boy. My favorite most cuddly one is a suspected male.

I have 2 that are from the same mother hen(Wyandotte). One is feathering faster and one is feathering slower. My neighbor kept 2 of their siblings from the same mother hen..both are feathering very very slow. We suspect there is 1 female and 3 brothers.
I will post some pictures of slow and faster feather siblings so you can see what I mean.

The "female" has a good bit more wing than the "male". He just has some wing tips essentially.

last photo with the dark wing is cockerel.

 

[SweetieChicken234]

Ugh just discovered one of my Delawares has a bit of cut under her wing. She keeps pecking at it. I tried to put a tiny collar on her to keep her from pecking but the others just pecked it off of her. As long as she's distracted with something she's not messing with it. Ugh now I have to keep an eye on that.