I’m not Mother Nature, but..... My journey hatching broody and bator chicks

[WVduckchick]

Its miserably cold here too. Brrrr.

Anyway, I know almost enough to be dangerous with guessing crosses.
But the welsummer dad and the breeds of girls you have are some of the common sex-link crosses.
Red sex links hatch red females, and white males. Black sex links hatch black females, and black males with white head dots.
This is one of my favorite go-to threads on sex link info.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sex-linked-information.261208/

These charts could be useful to you figuring some out. They are from the above referenced thread.
Now I have to go back to your list and look at the second set of pics again.

 

[Mimi13]

This is one of my favorite go-to threads on sex link info.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sex-linked-information.261208/

This link is wonderful! I still don’t understand everything it’s saying, but it has enlightened me quite a bit!

I still get a male vibe from the pics, but I’m far from expert in this guessing game.

Unfortunately for me, when these chicks were hatching I kept thinking how incredibly large their feet and legs were. And today, two weeks later, I still think that. It is very likely, I guess, that I could have a 100% hatch rate of cockerels. Man oh man, what are the odds and what a great learning experience I have before me! I mean, I haven’t had the best of luck raising a “perfect” male! Oh, wait, wth did I just say? That doesn’t even exist, does it? Nah! Who am I kidding! Uh, okay, I’m good!

 

[WVduckchick]

This link is wonderful! I still don’t understand everything it’s saying, but it has enlightened me quite a bit!

Unfortunately for me, when these chicks were hatching I kept thinking how incredibly large their feet and legs were. And today, two weeks later, I still think that. It is very likely, I guess, that I could have a 100% hatch rate of cockerels. Man oh man, what are the odds and what a great learning experience I have before me! I mean, I haven’t had the best of luck raising a “perfect” male! Oh, wait, wth did I just say? That doesn’t even exist, does it? Nah! Who am I kidding! Uh, okay, I’m good!

oxymoron - perfect male....

I had some very heavy cockerel hatches last year. Then I got lucky and got several pullets. I now have a bachelor pad of 10 bantam cochin cockerels.... (oops, make that 9, as I offed one myself over the weekend for fighting). All my extras from last spring.
I have 5 juvenile black copper marans that I hatched in November -- 3 male, 2 female.
One hatch of OEGB's last year was 9 total, I think -- 5 male, 4 female.
Oh, and the best ones... I gave some early cream legbar eggs to 3 broody bantam cochin hens last fall. 3 chicks hatched. All males.

So darlin, I feel your pain.


I still don't understand all the genetics. I try to learn more in depth about the stuff directly related to my breeds in particular, so some of it bleeds over as general info. But some of the more detailed stuff just sounds like Charlie Browns teacher in my head.

 

[aart]

the more detailed stuff just sounds like Charlie Browns teacher in my head.

Same here!!

 

[Mimi13]

Here are several shots of my broody raised chicks. They are 3 weeks old. I have not had any hands on with these chicks at all. They are just about as wild as the old barn kittens I remember as a child.

These three chicks have identical “twins” that I hatched in the incubator. The two chipmunk chicks are from my EE and the yellow one is unknown, but I thought possibly from my WPR.

These two from the EE differ in size and also the length of their tail. One tail is over an inch long and the other is barely just pin feathers emerging.

These next two pics show the beginning of the red feathers emerging from under the yellow down on the top of the shoulders and in front of them.

I was able to finally get ahold of this little booger. Hit my head on the run rafter in the process. Here are some up close shots of the emerging red feathers.

The chipmunk pattern is still evident under the chick’s wings.

Aren’t I lucky? Looks like another cockerel. [so totally sarcastic]

@WVduckchick, these pictures of the yellow chick probably make things even more confusing as to what it could be.

 

[Mimi13]

Same here!!

Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff that sounds like that to me.

 

[WVduckchick]

Here are several shots of my broody raised chicks. They are 3 weeks old. I have not had any hands on with these chicks at all. They are just about as wild as the old barn kittens I remember as a child.

These three chicks have identical “twins” that I hatched in the incubator. The two chipmunk chicks are from my EE and the yellow one is unknown, but I thought possibly from my WPR.
View attachment 1659160

These two from the EE differ in size and also the length of their tail. One tail is over an inch long and the other is barely just pin feathers emerging.
View attachment 1659161

These next two pics show the beginning of the red feathers emerging from under the yellow down on the top of the shoulders and in front of them.
View attachment 1659162
View attachment 1659168

I was able to finally get ahold of this little booger. Hit my head on the run rafter in the process. Here are some up close shots of the emerging red feathers.
View attachment 1659163

The chipmunk pattern is still evident under the chick’s wings.
View attachment 1659164

Aren’t I lucky? Looks like another cockerel. [so totally sarcastic]
View attachment 1659165

@WVduckchick, these pictures of the yellow chick probably make things even more confusing as to what it could be.
View attachment 1659166

Wa waaa, wha whaa waaa waaaaaaa….

I'm scared to even guess on any of those chicks yet.
But next time you hatch, if you can differentiate eggs from any of the girls, and pick ones from either of those 2 charts above, then you should be able to tell the sexes right away.

You have so many beautiful breeds, I'm sure all the chicks will grow up beautifully anyway. It is so interesting to watch them feather out. And yea, the differences between broody raised and hand raised chicks is crazy, unless you spend lots of time with the broody. I do have one little broody-raised cockerel that is pretty friendly. Or he's just the biggest pig, because he is always first to the feed trough when I fill it. The others wait until I take the scoop away, but not this boy! He still won't let me touch him, but he will eat scratch from my hand, and many of the others won't.

 

[Mimi13]

Wa waaa, wha whaa waaa waaaaaaa….

I'm scared to even guess on any of those chicks yet.
But next time you hatch, if you can differentiate eggs from any of the girls, and pick ones from either of those 2 charts above, then you should be able to tell the sexes right away.

You have so many beautiful breeds, I'm sure all the chicks will grow up beautifully anyway. It is so interesting to watch them feather out. And yea, the differences between broody raised and hand raised chicks is crazy, unless you spend lots of time with the broody. I do have one little broody-raised cockerel that is pretty friendly. Or he's just the biggest pig, because he is always first to the feed trough when I fill it. The others wait until I take the scoop away, but not this boy! He still won't let me touch him, but he will eat scratch from my hand, and many of the others won't.

If all 11 of these eggs turn out to be cockerels there may not be “another” hatching. I’ll just go back to ordering online. Though that is not as much fun!

 

[WVduckchick]

If all 11 of these eggs turn out to be cockerels there may not be “another” hatching. I’ll just go back to ordering online. Though that is not as much fun!

but....but....but.... the next hatch could be alllll girls!
Don't you like to gamble?

 

[Mimi13]

but....but....but.... the next hatch could be alllll girls!
Don't you like to gamble?

I’ve never been one to gamble much. I like the odds of certainty much better.