How reliable a gender indicator is redness of peacomb in Easter Eggers?

[bayareapilot]

Maybe a closeup of the comb?
Other potential male features to look for:

• Pullets tend to have a fairly even feather pattern while young cockerels are patchy
• The sort of mahogany red patches starting to show on the wing bows. I'm not sure I see that in the picture
• feathers tend to be pointed rather than rounded

. One of my other chicks looks like this, it does have bright coloring accents and a little bit of red r in the peacomb. Hopefully you don't tell me that this is a male too? - that would be two out of four

 

[NatJ]

I noticed that some of the others we have replied to my post mentioned something about red in the feathering.

Roosters are more prone to having red on some parts of their plumage, hens are more prone to having it other places--so red in the shoulders/wings is more likely in a rooster, while a red/pink breast is more likely in a hen (black breast being more likely in a rooster). Of course, this is only useful for some chickens, because there are many breeds that are all one solid color, and others where the roosters and hens are bred to be the same color. (Rhode Island Red hen will clearly have plenty of red, while White Leghorn rooster will have no red on him, for example.)

Roosters often have brighter, shinier plumage than hens--but Easter Eggers can be such a mix that there's a lot of guessing involved.

Well two of the four 8 week olds have feathering that is all white and they have no hint of red or even pink in the peacomb. The third is kind of black and has some red in the peacomb, but not as red as the fourth.

The fourth (the chick I had the question about originally),. Has a much redder peacomb.

The reason I asked if you had photos of them all is that comparison (visually) is often easier than looking at one in isolation. Pullets do mature at different rates, so sometimes the redder comb is just an early bloomer. Every pullet you've got will eventually have a bigger, redder comb than the one you're currently concerned about--and each one is likely to get a redder comb somewhat suddenly, too. But it can be quite a guessing game, trying to figure out which ones are males and females as they're going through the process.

It does seem likely that you have a cockerel there, but it could take some more weeks to be sure.

About pictures: it looks like your camera is focusing on the chicken wire, rather than the birds. You might consider taking any future photos with the camera inside the pen, instead of through the wire. (That way the camera won't be showing us such clear details of the wire when we want to see the chickens!)

 

[chrissynemetz]

You have beautiful birds!
I'm thinking the first one is a cockerel.... the second one is harder to tell from the picture... but that one could possibly be a cockerel too

 

[featherhead007]

All cockerels but so what!!!

 

[featherhead007]

I'M A ROO, TOO

 

[bayareapilot]

: it looks like your camera is focusing on the chicken wire, rather than the birds. You might consider taking any future photos with the camera inside the pen, instead of through the wire. (That way the camera won't be showing us such clear details of the wire when we want to see the chickens!)

Here's a picture of all four hands including a picture of the two that I now suspect are male. By the way the chick that I first showed a picture of that posters said look like it might be a Cockerel, it does chest bump the black one with the red accents. The first of my chicks identified by this group as possibly a male clearly is more assertive than the others 2 oh, I don't know if that's indicative of anything but it clearly is a more assertive critter. And also chases the white ones. The two white ones I would guess dollars to donuts are pullets, absolutely no redness in their peacomb at all

 

[Folly's place]

Better photos will help, but I'm guessing that both are cockerels.
Fifty percent is normal, sorry. Post more (clearer!) pictures next week!
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Those combs are very red for their age.
Mary

 

[bayareapilot]

Those combs are very red for their age.
Mary

Yeah that's what I thought. I remember my now older hens when they were pullets that they didn't get any coloration of redness in their peacomb until what they were getting close to lay.

 

[bruceha2000]

. One of my other chicks looks like this, it does have bright coloring accents and a little bit of red r in the peacomb. Hopefully you don't tell me that this is a male too? - that would be two out of four
View attachment 1992556

Hard to tell since the green wire is the focus of the picture. As @NatJ suggested, take pictures inside the coop if possible. There is a lot of red on that bird and it is kind of patchy rather than patterned and that would hint toward a cockerel but not necessarily. Some EE pullets/hens don't have regularly patterned areas.

I have read that by 3 months one can absolutely confirm the gender of the chicks because of the feathering towards the tail?

For what it is worth, Meyer Hatchery wants claims of accidental cockerels submitted when the birds are between 11 and 18 weeks of age. I had a Barnevelder that was very clearly a cockerel at 3 weeks but waited until week eleven to claim the refund.