Gender of Welsummer and Cuckoo Marans chicks Please?

[junebuggena]

The Marans with the most white is definitely male. Only males can have so much white, due to the way the barring/cuckoo gene works. The smallest Marans looks to be male, as well. The darkest is female.
The Welsummers are pretty easy once their chest feathers start coming in. Males will have black chests, females will be brown.

 

[SavorChick]

The Marans with the most white is definitely male. Only males can have so much white, due to the way the barring/cuckoo gene works. The smallest Marans looks to be male, as well. The darkest is female.
The Welsummers are pretty easy once their chest feathers start coming in. Males will have black chests, females will be brown.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I agree with Marans....lightest male, wait on small, dark female.

Right now all Wellies look female...chest color is salmon on girls (not brown...that would be a Brown Leghorn in the Wellies bin or a very badly bred Wellie). Wait for final Wellie. Males are slower bloomers in that breed. If black comes into chest, male.

 

[Michael OShay]

The Marans with the most white is definitely male. Only males can have so much white, due to the way the barring/cuckoo gene works. The smallest Marans looks to be male, as well. The darkest is female.
The Welsummers are pretty easy once their chest feathers start coming in. Males will have black chests, females will be brown.

I agree with Marans....lightest male, wait on small, dark female.

Right now all Wellies look female...chest color is salmon on girls (not brown...that would be a Brown Leghorn in the Wellies bin or a very badly bred Wellie). Wait for final Wellie. Males are slower bloomers in that breed. If black comes into chest, male.

X2 on both of the above posts.

 

[Chapel Hill Chicks]

I'll have to go back to find pictures of my Welsummers when they were chicks. I purchased three as pullets, and two of the three turned out to be cockerels. What I didn't know then that I know now? The largest of the three, all of them day-old at purchase, turned out to be the lone female. As stated earlier in this thread, she was slightly darker with more defined eyeliner than the two boys. However, it wasn't until they really hit about 10-12 weeks that I knew without a doubt I had two males in the mix. The pinkish-salmon color of the female's breast was really gorgeous, and her feathers had a stippled look to them that the boys didn't have. And of course, as they reached the "preteen" weeks, the boys started getting wattles, where the little hen did not. All three were purchased at a local feed and garden center, with the pullets having been sexed at their hatchery in the SW before being shipped.

Luckily, I was able to re-home one of the boys with a chicken owner looking for a Welsummer rooster, but I still have one of the boys and the hen. Even if they aren't show quality, they are gorgeous, friendly birds.

Let me go find those pictures for you . . .

 

[Chapel Hill Chicks]

Here's a picture of my three Welsummers during their first week. All three were sold as pullets, as that's how they were sexed at the hatchery (turns out it was also Privett in NM) and shipped to the feed store where I purchased them. Although it's clear that the lightest one is different in markings from the other two, I honestly am not sure which one in this picture is the female -- the one in the back or the one beneath the other two. I'd guess the one in the back is my girl, but I honestly can't tell 100%.


In this photo, it's a little easier to see that the two in front are slightly lighter than the one in back. The girl in back has a very distinct dark triangle on her head. At the time, I was clueless that I had two surprise roosters out of the three pullets I purchased!

Edited to add:
I should have also mentioned that within 2-3 weeks, it was clear that one of the three chicks was feathering out more quickly and was larger than the other two. My girl feathered out far faster than the boys did.

 

[SavorChick]

I agree with Marans....lightest male, wait on small, dark female.

Right now all Wellies look female...chest color is salmon on girls (not brown...that would be a Brown Leghorn in the Wellies bin or a very badly bred Wellie). Wait for final Wellie. Males are slower bloomers in that breed. If black comes into chest, male.

 

[SavorChick]

Here's a picture of my three Welsummers during their first week. All three were sold as pullets, as that's how they were sexed at the hatchery (turns out it was also Privett in NM) and shipped to the feed store where I purchased them. Although it's clear that the lightest one is different in markings from the other two, I honestly am not sure which one in this picture is the female -- the one in the back or the one beneath the other two. I'd guess the one in the back is my girl, but I honestly can't tell 100%.


In this photo, it's a little easier to see that the two in front are slightly lighter than the one in back. The girl in back has a very distinct dark triangle on her head. At the time, I was clueless that I had two surprise roosters out of the three pullets I purchased!

Edited to add:
I should have also mentioned that within 2-3 weeks, it was clear that one of the three chicks was feathering out more quickly and was larger than the other two. My girl feathered out far faster than the boys did.

Thanks. Have our fingers crossed.

I'll have to go back to find pictures of my Welsummers when they were chicks. I purchased three as pullets, and two of the three turned out to be cockerels. What I didn't know then that I know now? The largest of the three, all of them day-old at purchase, turned out to be the lone female. As stated earlier in this thread, she was slightly darker with more defined eyeliner than the two boys. However, it wasn't until they really hit about 10-12 weeks that I knew without a doubt I had two males in the mix. The pinkish-salmon color of the female's breast was really gorgeous, and her feathers had a stippled look to them that the boys didn't have. And of course, as they reached the "preteen" weeks, the boys started getting wattles, where the little hen did not. All three were purchased at a local feed and garden center, with the pullets having been sexed at their hatchery in the SW before being shipped.

Luckily, I was able to re-home one of the boys with a chicken owner looking for a Welsummer rooster, but I still have one of the boys and the hen. Even if they aren't show quality, they are gorgeous, friendly birds.

Let me go find those pictures for you . . .

Thanks. We already have two (at least 3 with the addition of the Marans) . Don't think we would have trouble finding home(s).

X2 on both of the above posts.

Thanks as always.

 

[Michael OShay]

Thanks as always.

You're welcome.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Runts have a way of surprising you...especially when purchased at a feed store...the smaller chick usually means a different shipment or hatch date and slightly younger bird...so don't expect him/her to remain the smallest....he/she may simply be a few days younger.

So indeed time will tell with the youngest/smallest...but thus far nothing is screaming roo.

LofMc