Gender feathers question (pointy vs. round)?

[jessupfamily]

I've been able to tell roos and hens pretty early on by seeing if the neck feathers and tail feathers are pointed or round. But, I'm noticing 2 pointy feathers on the tails really early on some of the chicks this year. Is this the first sign of a roo?
There is one pointy feather on each side of the tail area and they are down lower than most of the tail. Thanks for any help!

 

[jessupfamily]

Oh man, I know there's some folks out there that know what I'm talkin' about!

 

[chicken stalker]

I noticed the same thing on one of my chicks but when I showed everyone on BYC they said it was a female. So I'm just playing the waiting game now.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Males have pointy feathers and hens rounded feathers. BUT, you could have a breed, like Sebrights, that are all henfeatherd.

 

[jessupfamily]

I have all Silkie mixes (some 2nd and some 3rd generation mixes). The ones that are 20 weeks I can tell by the pointy or round feathers. But the ones that are 12-13 weeks all have round feathers except these 2 pointy feathers at the bottom of their tails. I can't tell at all with the ones that are fluffy like Silkies, I'm only trying to figure out the ones that are smooth feathered. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. It's confusing the heck out of me!

 

[speckledhen]

The area they're talking about are the neck feathers (the cape) and the saddle feathers, which are on the back just before the tail area. The saddle feathers hang down on each side like a fringe and are pointy on roosters.
You wont see those right away, though. They take a few weeks to show up.