Guess Chicks Gender and Breed (Just For Fun)

[Pigeony]

Thank you! I know I'm partial to them .

I'm certain #4 is a cockerel and #3 is a pullet, and like 50/50 on #5 being a cockerel.

#4, has been crowing up a storm since he learned how the other day, so I can't deny that one any longer. So he's officially been name changed to "a boy named sue rose". LOL.

#3, "George"/"Georgia" has one of the lighter colored and smaller combs now, and other than some pointier tail feathers than the other girls, they have all stayed really straight. Her neck feathers are also rounder than they kinda look, just cause the white/black constrast kinda gives an optial illusion to hide the real edges.

#5, I flip flop on every other glance at him/her . The red shoulders, the large legs/feet, and a single feathers that ALMOST curls, kinda makes me lean more towards cockerel. Though, the comb litterally stopped growing, and it's just not getting much wider or redder. It's probably more in the midrange of "pink" in comparison to even the other hens. It's also only a single row, where #4 is def starting to get some of the sides coming in. (all the other girls only have 1 row). The last thing is just that the saddle feathers seem to be coming in much more rounded than #4.

Though, told my mom, we will know once #5 starts to crow or lay eggs And we don't have to really figure it out until they start fighting and/or mating. I've planned on keeping only 1 rooster, but she's kinda partial to all of them, so I told her if fate smiles on us, and they seem to fit well enough we won't mess with it too much. Though, I don't want an aggressive rooster, and I don't want them fighting/mating to stress out the hens.

#5 is 100% male, that rust red is growing in the pattern of male-specific EE feathering.

 

[ColoradoChicken89]

#5 is 100% male, that rust red is growing in the pattern of male-specific EE feathering.

yeah, tbh that is what made me assume cockerel early on, just because that started to show within the first few weeks. There are some other signs too. Though, I do have one friend who has a EE hen with rust in the male pattern, so I kinda keep up hope. Though, I know it's not very common... lol.

 

[Pigeony]

yeah, tbh that is what made me assume cockerel early on, just because that started to show within the first few weeks. There are some other signs too. Though, I do have one friend who has a EE hen with rust in the male pattern, so I kinda keep up hope. Though, I know it's not very common... lol.

Hens that have rusty red patterns in their feathers don't develop it in the same way. They have red as a component of their coloring, but it's more evenly distributed, less specifically concentrated on the back of the bird, and maybe a shade or two lighter. That deep-red, uneven, blotchy splattering specifically across the shoulders and upper wings is only found in males.

 

[ColoradoChicken89]

Hens that have rusty red patterns in their feathers don't develop it in the same way. They have red as a component of their coloring, but it's more evenly distributed, less specifically concentrated on the back of the bird, and maybe a shade or two lighter. That deep-red, uneven, blotchy splattering specifically across the shoulders and upper wings is only found in males.

TBH I 1000% agree with you, but I think Iva Jean is intersex. LOL.

I ended up getting her a cheap DNA test, and it came back as hen... so I did a 2nd one, and it came back as hen again... Though, SO much about her reads "rooster". The comb is big and really red compared to ALL the other girls, she stands like a rooster, she's even getting a rooster tail... let alone the coloring. so the results still don't have me convinced "she" is 100% pullet...

Though, the vet basically explained to me, though it's rare, some chickens are intersex, and some just defy genetic norms. But her best guess, because the DNA test I chose just tests for the "W" gene is present or not, that it can easily be a "ZZW" or have half ZZ/ZW (and a ZW was the spot tested)... She said we can do some more extensive testing if I want to pay for it, but I think I'm just going to wait to see what happens, and just do a nacrospy at the end of her life for comfirmation some other time.

For now, Rose/Iva seem to get along fine. It seems like me moving them around a few times a day keeps them more in "alert" mode than being aware of each other. Rose is def in charge though, between the two. So far none of them are attempting to mate yet, so that might end up chaning when that happens.

When/if it ends up being an issue later, I plan on culling Iva though. Just because I did want a rooster for fertalized eggs, I don't want to risk the chance that, even if Iva doesn't lay eggs AND mounts other chickens, she might just shoot blanks or have a lower fertility rate, just because of the "W" is def somewhere in there. Figured I will just have better fertalization odds with the very obvious rooster.

If they don't end up having any issues though, we figure we might as well keep her (even if she doesn't lay eggs) cause I don't really want to cull anyone if I can avoid it. And I'm just curious at this point what will happen... LOL

 

[Pigeony]

TBH I 1000% agree with you, but I think Iva Jean is intersex. LOL.

I ended up getting her a cheap DNA test, and it came back as hen... so I did a 2nd one, and it came back as hen again... Though, SO much about her reads "rooster". The comb is big and really red compared to ALL the other girls, she stands like a rooster, she's even getting a rooster tail... let alone the coloring. so the results still don't have me convinced "she" is 100% pullet...

Though, the vet basically explained to me, though it's rare, some chickens are intersex, and some just defy genetic norms. But her best guess, because the DNA test I chose just tests for the "W" gene is present or not, that it can easily be a "ZZW" or have half ZZ/ZW (and a ZW was the spot tested)... She said we can do some more extensive testing if I want to pay for it, but I think I'm just going to wait to see what happens, and just do a nacrospy at the end of her life for comfirmation some other time.

For now, Rose/Iva seem to get along fine. It seems like me moving them around a few times a day keeps them more in "alert" mode than being aware of each other. Rose is def in charge though, between the two. So far none of them are attempting to mate yet, so that might end up chaning when that happens.

When/if it ends up being an issue later, I plan on culling Iva though. Just because I did want a rooster for fertalized eggs, I don't want to risk the chance that, even if Iva doesn't lay eggs AND mounts other chickens, she might just shoot blanks or have a lower fertility rate, just because of the "W" is def somewhere in there. Figured I will just have better fertalization odds with the very obvious rooster.

If they don't end up having any issues though, we figure we might as well keep her (even if she doesn't lay eggs) cause I don't really want to cull anyone if I can avoid it. And I'm just curious at this point what will happen... LOL

Interesting, would love to see an updated picture! You have me very curious what will happen as well, you may have a rare medical anomaly on your hands.

 

[ColoradoChicken89]

Interesting, would love to see an updated picture! You have me very curious what will happen as well, you may have a rare medical anomaly on your hands.

Yeah I can get some in the evening when I put them up. Cause it's only just gotten more extreme physically. LOL. But I was waiting to see the results and talk to my vet before I posted here, cause I was just more confused... LOL.

First test, I was almost certain I grabbed the wrong feather (cause i saw one fall off and i figured I accidently grabbed the wrong one), but the 2nd test I made sure to pluck a feather (it was mostly falling out, just a little stuck) so I KNEW it was right.

But I'll probably be keeping a close eye on Iva, cause the vet did warn me that some weird complications can happen if the reproductive organs don't fully develop, or what can cause that to happen can cause issues, if she's not intersex. So I def want a necropsy at some point to know for sure. So to just look out for any signs that she might need to be euthanized.

 

[ColoradoChicken89]

So I'm going to mix up the order a little (cause I want to put Iva/Ivan up first). This is the one that is DNA testing as a hen, but you would NEVER believe me if you looked at her

She's even got the metalic green color to some curled saddle feathers....
(stock picture to demonstrate below because the picture doesn't show it)

Also something about the neck feathers to me screams "rooster"...



No one at this point would call THAT a hen by this point... ... I'm half debating between getting a more elaborate DNA test (that would actually confirm/deny intersex) and or getting the local farm vet to come out with a sonogram to have a look at the gonad development inside.

The second, obvious rooster, "A boy named Rose" aka "Johnny Cash" if I can make it stick.


The third is my sweet hen, Maud.


Fourth, Veronica, my most social hen (DEF an opal legbar at this point. Her poof is my favorite).



Fifth, "George" lol. Def a hen, but the names have kinda stuck at this point.


Sixth is Genevive. She's as big as the rooster (and maybe somekinda rosoter), but she's def jut a big girl. She's generally more shy/dramatic, but we've been working on hand feeding, whcih has gotten her a lot more comfortable with being touched.


Last is Beatrice. Who, has gotten some interesting colors still coming in. I really question what she's going to look like full grown. She had a lot of orange coming in around her head/chest, but it's now starting to turn grey... (The pics don't do it justice, and really didn't get the chest part as well).



At first when the orange started coming in, I thought she was dirty/stained (cause our clay is red) but I quickly just started to realize she's changing a little at a time. I have a feeling in a year from now, she's going to look completely different.

 

[Laurasb65]

Welp I think I might have been wrong . Iva Jean has been showing a lot of random pops red on the shoulders, and getting a larger/pinker comb than the others. While George Roogan has not... So tbh, I might have them backwards. Figure it will just become "Georgia Chigan" and "Ivan Gene" if I have to switch it lol.

I don't have pictures of all of the chicks, and seem to be missing all of the pictures I got of the shoulders... So I'll take some more this evening. Though I do have a good comparison picture for most of the two combs I'm talking about.


Iva Jean / Ivan Gene
View attachment 4163964
[You can KINDA see the random red here, but it's not as clear... but that isn't dirt, that is actually a red/brown color coming in that is consentrating near the shoulder wings].

George Roogan / Georgia ChiganView attachment 4163963

I was going to say the same thing for Iva.

 

[ColoradoChicken89]

This is the last update I'm going ot make on this thread, just because the mystery was solved. LOL.

Iva Jean is intersex, and infertile (we believe). My vet finally sent a blood sample for a more comphrensive test, and it came back as XXY. Then we did a sonogram to see what was going on inside (cause I was curious). The vet says it looks like neither one of the overies developed (she can find those though), but she can't find any signs of testicals. So the vet's best professional opinion is that Iva will be infertile.

which is sad, because she in turning into a STUNNING chicken...