How do I know for sure if my 6 week old chick is a pullet or a cockerel?

[GottaHatchEmAll]

Here is my 6 week old lavender Orpington x silkie chick. (I'm leaning towards her being a pullet)

And here is her brother Fuzzy.

Both of them are six weeks old. Fuzzy is definitely a cockerel. I'm leaning towards Lucky being a pullet. How do I know for sure if Lucky is a pullet?

 

[Beau plus penny]

fuzzy looks like hes going to be cockerel

 

[GottaHatchEmAll]

Is Lucky a pullet or cockerel? My dad insists that she is a cockerel because of her feathers, but to me, feathers do not matter.

 

[coach723]

The size and redness of the combs is the biggest tell right now. It's often hard to tell by feathers until they are older. I would guess cockerel as well. Having said that, mixes can be more difficult since you don't know which breed they will take more from in any attribute. And I have been fooled before. Sometimes you get a pullet that just has a big comb. And birds that tend towards peacombs or smaller combs can fool you the other way. Not always an exact science. The more familiar you are with a particular breed, the easier it gets with those. Mixes don't always follow any rules. I had a batch of mixed supposedly pullets (barred rock/andalusian) last year, three I was sure were cockerels due to early comb development and faint barring in early feathers. They all ended up pullets. You may not know for sure until they are older.

 

[GottaHatchEmAll]

The size and redness of the combs is the biggest tell right now. It's often hard to tell by feathers until they are older. I would guess cockerel as well. Having said that, mixes can be more difficult since you don't know which breed they will take more from in any attribute. And I have been fooled before. Sometimes you get a pullet that just has a big comb. And birds that tend towards peacombs or smaller combs can fool you the other way. Not always an exact science. The more familiar you are with a particular breed, the easier it gets with those. Mixes don't always follow any rules. I had a batch of mixed supposedly pullets (barred rock/andalusian) last year, three I was sure were cockerels due to early comb development and faint barring in early feathers. They all ended up pullets. You may not know for sure until they are older.

Lucky has no wattles at all, and the phone camera is making her comb look red, but her comb is actually dark gray and only extends just beyond her beak. Fuzzy's comb, on the other hand, is a very bright red and extends almost to the back of his head. Also, Fuzzy's wattles are bulgy and bright red. Lucky is the complete opposite, so I'm leaning towards pullet. Fuzzy is definitely a cockerel due to reddening comb and wattles.

 

[WingItRanch]

As Coach said, it's harder to guess with mixes so there's no guarantees until they're a little older. My personal opinion? I think they're both cockerels.

 

[GottaHatchEmAll]

As Coach said, it's harder to guess with mixes so there's no guarantees until they're a little older. My personal opinion? I think they're both cockerels.

I've gotten different answers. Some say pullet, some say cockerel, so I'm not exactly sure what to think. Fuzzy is definitely a cockerel though.

 

[WingItRanch]

I

I've gotten different answers. Some say pullet, some say cockerel, so I'm not exactly sure what to think. Fuzzy is definitely a cockerel though.

It's just too soon to say for sure. These are all just guesses. You may have to wait until you see an egg or hear a crow.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is not always easy to tell, but could you please post a photo showing the legs and a profile. Some people only look at the comb and wattles but I want to look at the whole bird. A lot of these things are only indications that they might be, but a cockerel tends to have thicker legs than a pullet. Cockerels tend to have an upright posture where pullets are more bent over. Those are the things I'm looking for, in addition to comb and wattles.

I may not be able to tell, but another photo could help.

 

[MROO]

Is Lucky a pullet or cockerel? My dad insists that she is a cockerel because of her feathers, but to me, feathers do not matter.

At just six weeks, feathers aren't reliable - especially on a mix ... and super-especially on a Silkie mix. I'm leaning towards Lucky being a pullet, but time will tell.