Feather/age questions???

[lostinthewoods]

I picked up my RIR and Black Australorp chicks last Thursday (04/12/07) and was wondering about how old they are. They have all of their wing feathers and have started getting some feathers in the tail area and some around the neck. I was also wondering about a very bright orange spot on the top of one of my RIR chicks. Is it possible that this is the cockerel? I may be able to post some pictures later this evening if that helps. Thank you in advance!

I am going to attempt to put a picture on here....you can't really see their feathers very well in this picture, but they're still adorable!

 

[Bec]

Here is picture of my Buff Orpington babies..they are 16 days old and sound liek what you are decribing..

 

[lostinthewoods]

The feathering does look similar except my chicks have a few more feathers in their neck area. Thank you very much bec! I think it is safe to assume that they're just over 2 weeks old then. I will try to post some pics later on this evening....

 

[speckledhen]

If there is a lighter spot on a RIR's head, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Sometimes, an old document I have says, you can tell females by a dark stripe down the top of the head toward the neck, but a RIR is one breed that really doesn't have many clues at the beginning. In about a month, thicker legs and larger comb and wattle area sometimes give it away that you have a boy.

 

[lostinthewoods]

Thank you very much speckledhen....I will be looking for those qualities then!