Feathers on chicks.

[Bantu]

A few questions. I know some feather in more quickly but just in general. But I thought maybe you experts could lend some advice.
1. Feathering sequance.
A. Wings. Age range?
B. Tail. Age range ?
C. Back. Age range?
D. Chest. Age range?
E. Head. Age range?

2. Age when hackle and saddle feathers appear?
I have a three week old sex link that should be male but hackle and saddle feathers as round tipped not pointed at all.

 

[elizabethjg]

Ok, first about your little sex link, is it a gold or black sex link? Color is going to be your main decider for gender, some birds' feathers just come in differently, after it's first molt you will know for sure if it is male or female.
Then for the feather growth rates, the wings and tail will come in very first. The back, head, and chest usually come in around the same time a few weeks after the tail and wings. ( In my own experience, the back feathers come in first, then the head, then the chest) As for the age range for all of the feathers, the wings and tail come in maybe just under a week after being hatched.

 

[donrae]

Sex feathers, those pointy hackle and saddle feathers, don't come in until about 10 weeks at the very earliest. Most of mine start growing them around 13-14 weeks. So, if your chick is that little, you're not going to have pointed feathers yet. If it's a sex link, go by color.

 

[drumstick diva]

x2

 

[Bantu]

Ok...will do. He hatched out barred from a black cooper marans father and barred rock mama. Just looks so much like his mother except his coloring is so much darker than hers.

 

[BantamLover21]

Sex feathers, those pointy hackle and saddle feathers, don't come in until about 10 weeks at the very earliest. Most of mine start growing them around 13-14 weeks. So, if your chick is that little, you're not going to have pointed feathers yet. If it's a sex link, go by color.

x3

 

[donrae]

With those parents, he's definitely a little cockerel if he's barred.

My Marans seem to take longer to mature.

Since he's a male sex link, his color may be darker than a female's, and his barring will be messier and he'll get probably red leakage as he matures.

Some pics of random bsl cockerels I've hatched out, just so you can see how the pattern varies...

 

[Bantu]

With those parents, he's definitely a little cockerel if he's barred. My Marans seem to take longer to mature. Since he's a male sex link, his color may be darker than a female's, and his barring will be messier and he'll get probably red leakage as he matures. Some pics of random bsl cockerels I've hatched out, just so you can see how the pattern varies...

Here is my " boy" Brock. Your birds are beautiful. I can't wait to see Brock mature, he's going to replace my gold lace Cochin bantam as my rooster. My big girls just won't listen to him... Lol Thank you for sharing your birds.

 

[donrae]

He's a cutie!

I had a bsl rooster as my flock master for about 4 years. I loved hatching chicks from him, cause half would be barred, half would be solid. I put him over a variety of hatchery hens and got some really interesting mixes. I like having a flock that doesn't look like everyone else's

 

[Bantu]

He's a cutie!

I had a bsl rooster as my flock master for about 4 years. I loved hatching chicks from him, cause half would be barred, half would be solid. I put him over a variety of hatchery hens and got some really interesting mixes. I like having a flock that doesn't look like everyone else's 

Me too. I have 3 more in the incubator same mama's but Dad is Brody my bantam gold laced Cochin. He lives to breed but is horrible at protecting the flock. The lone guinea does that. She came in my first box of chicks lol. Didn't order her and wasn't charged for her.. Brody likes her too.