I have some questions!!

[lablover]

First, why does this EE's tail curl if it's a pullet?

When will a pullet's face start to turn red?

What do hackle and saddle feathers look like? When do they get them? I have a roo that is starting to get little green and yellow feathers on his back, and he's about 8 weeks old.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi Lablover

Maybe the curled tail is because it isn't a pullet. Sometimes they get it wrong when they determine the sex of chicks.

Hackle and Saddle feathers are on a cockerels neck and back -- they are pointed (usually) thin and fringe like.

 

[BlueCamas]

Chicks with curled tail feathers usually end up being cockerels, such as your EE chick. A pullet's face will become very red around the time they are about to start laying. Saddle and saddle feathers are long, very pointy, and shiny.
Hackle feathers on my young Orp cockerel.

Hope this helps!

 

[nurse_turtle]

I believe the bird in your picture is an EE pullet. Those tail feathers are not her "big girl" feathers yet. I have a BO who's 10+ weeks and has a puny curled tail and she's definitely a girl. The red face comes around from about 4 months old and on. Red face is a sign of sexual maturity and precedes egg-laying. Some still have several weeks from red face to egg.

 

[lablover]

Oh goodness, I really hope Tilly isn't a Tiller. Her face is just starting to get a little red to it, and my roos (same age) have been red for a while now. They're about 7 weeks old.

Thanks for the clarification on the feathers though!!