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

[bayareapilot]

Those are both cockerels. They both have the rusty red wing bars, which is male exclusive. You can judge the redness of the comb on one, but both won't usually go red early. The more dominant of the two will get a red comb, but the subordinate won't.
I have absolutely no doubt that those are both cockerels.

Thanks for the reply!
The thing I was sort of hanging my hat on, was:. For what I've heard/read with Easter eggers usually have a uniform kind of Partridge like feathering coloration. While the males tend to be blotchy with often red highlights in the wing areas? of course I've also read that because Easter eggers are basically a mutt, a combination of a whole bunch of genetics that it can sometimes be hard to attribute specific colorations to gender, because of all the gene mixing.

You're likely correct but I just wanted to share what I was thinking and bounce it off the group in my reply. By the way if it does turn out they both are cockerels and since I've never had cockerels , I was wondering once I was 100% certain which I assume will occur about 12 weeks or so; will it be necessary to pull one of the cockrell's out of that flock? If so at what age would I need to do that?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Thanks for the reply!
The thing I was sort of hanging my hat on, was:. For what I've heard/read with Easter eggers usually have a uniform kind of Partridge like feathering coloration. While the males tend to be blotchy with often red highlights in the wing areas? of course I've also read that because Easter eggers are basically a mutt, a combination of a whole bunch of genetics that it can sometimes be hard to attribute specific colorations to gender, because of all the gene mixing.

You're likely correct but I just wanted to share what I was thinking and bounce it off the group in my reply. By the way if it does turn out they both are cockerels and since I've never had cockerels , I was wondering once I was 100% certain which I assume will occur about 12 weeks or so; will it be necessary to pull one of the cockrell's out of that flock? If so at what age would I need to do that?

really, that depends on how many females you have and how the two cockerels are together. I have a flock right now with 6 hens (one is a pullet) and 3 cockerels. The cockerels are 21 weeks and the youngest female is 36 weeks. I can leave the cockerels with the flock for now. I'm planning on selling one, but I still haven't figured out which one that will be.
You can hang onto both if they get along, maybe forever... or you can get rid of one. You can do that now, if you wanted, or wait till male saddle feathers start coming in.

 

[Folly's place]

It's also early to be sure about temperament, so as long as things are peaceful, give them more time to develop. Both may be wonderful, or not, so wait and see.
Mary

 

[Kiki]

Those are both cockerels. They both have the rusty red wing bars, which is male exclusive. You can judge the redness of the comb on one, but both won't usually go red early. The more dominant of the two will get a red comb, but the subordinate won't.
I have absolutely no doubt that those are both cockerels.

I agree they both have the classic male red shoulders.

 

[aart]

but leaning a bit now more towards Sandy being a pullet.

You can wish in one hand.....
Guess you'll have to wait until saddle and hackle feathers grow out, another month or so...
..... or he crows.

 

[bayareapilot]

It's also early to be sure about temperament, so as long as things are peaceful, give them more time to develop. Both may be wonderful, or not, so wait and see.
Mary

The part that concerns me though is that in that specific flock I would only have two pullets for the two cockerels. Host of what I've been reading seems to indicate that if you don't have enough hens the hens that you have can get over mated. Don't know if that's true since I've only had hens; but it just some of the stuff I read on the website.
I'm hesitant about the possibility of combining my other small flock of two nearly 10 year old hens since I assume the presence of a rooster would needlessly stress them and they are both up in years.
It's really helping most people would tell me that I just had one rooster ,, oh well.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

The part that concerns me though is that in that specific flock I would only have two pullets for the two cockerels. Host of what I've been reading seems to indicate that if you don't have enough hens the hens that you have can get over mated. Don't know if that's true since I've only had hens; but it just some of the stuff I read on the website.
I'm hesitant about the possibility of combining my other small flock of two nearly 10 year old hens since I assume the presence of a rooster would needlessly stress them and they are both up in years.
It's really helping most people would tell me that I just had one rooster ,, oh well.

Oh, its true. I've seen pics where hen's backs were naked because the guys had pulled out her feathers. A single rooster can do that with a favorite hen too.
Do you have enough room to just separate the two cockerels and keep them together in their own pen with no females? At least until they are old enough to treat the females right. A young, hormonal cockerel, will be more rough on a female.

 

[bayareapilot]

Oh, its true. I've seen pics where hen's backs were naked because the guys had pulled out her feathers. A single rooster can do that with a favorite hen too.
Do you have enough room to just separate the two cockerels and keep them together in their own pen with no females? At least until they are old enough to treat the females right. A young, hormonal cockerel, will be more rough on a female.

Coincidentally I do have another Chicken Coop which I never assembled I noticed that the other day sitting in the back of my workshop still in the box that I bought it in and it's one of those prefab houses. this morning I was looking at the backyard and noticed one spot where conceivably I could place the two roosters separately in their own area. Will it matter that the roosters will be able to see the other hens and their separate area? or is it enough that they are just confined into their own area with just the two roosters that grew up together?
Thanks for your feedback I'm trying to explorer multiple possibilities/approaches.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Coincidentally I do have another Chicken Coop which I never assembled I noticed that the other day sitting in the back of my workshop still in the box that I bought it in and it's one of those prefab houses. this morning I was looking at the backyard and noticed one spot where conceivably I could place the two roosters separately in their own area. Will it matter that the roosters will be able to see the other hens and their separate area? or is it enough that they are just confined into their own area with just the two roosters that grew up together?
Thanks for your feedback I'm trying to explorer multiple possibilities/approaches.

Its ok if they're able to see them, I think... so long as their not right next to them. How far away are you saying? The barrier of the fence, if their right next to them, isn't enough for them to realize that they're not able to mate with them. They'll fight eachother over mating rights to females they can't reach.

 

[bayareapilot]

Its ok if they're able to see them, I think... so long as their not right next to them. How far away are you saying? The barrier of the fence, if their right next to them, isn't enough for them to realize that they're not able to mate with them. They'll fight eachother over mating rights to females they can't reach.

They would be about eight to ten feet apart that is the edges of the fences from each other, not sure if that's far enough but that's the best I could do?