ISA Brown gender?

[ChickPixie]

I would love opinions on the gender of my new ISA Brown chicks, they are around 6-7 weeks old.
They have just replaced my lohmann brown cockerels. One seems to have a larger comb & wattle than the other, is that normal? Or have I seriously lucked out again and got a boy?

 

[junebuggena]

That's not an ISA brown, that is a Production Red. And it looks like it might be a cockerel.
ISA Browns are a red sexlink. The pullets should be red with some white feathering throughout, usually on the wings and tail.

 

[junebuggena]

How on earth did you end up with accidental sexlink cockerels? That's the whole point of sexlinks, they can be sexed at hatching. Both ISA Browns and Lohman Browns are types of red sexlinks.

 

[ChickPixie]

I'm sorry, I'm new to this whole chick thing. I first got the lohmann Browns from my child's kinder and had no idea they were sex link. Then I got these and were told they are ISA Browns and they are sexed as day olds and is 95% accurate.
So you think they are both cockerels??

 

[junebuggena]

I'm saying you didn't get ISA Browns at all. You got Production Reds. And that second chick looks like it might be a boy. That comb is too pink, and it's got a darker shade of red on the wings.
Where did you get these chicks? Was it a feed store? Not all feed store employees know what each breed is supposed to look like as chicks, and they frequently sell straight run chicks as sexed pullets or get the chicks mixed up and put them in the wrong bins. You really have to know what you're looking at when you buy feed store chicks.

 

[ChickPixie]

No, I didn't get them from a feed store I got them from a farm. I'll call them today to check with them...and ask if I can change the suspect cockerel.
I thought red sex links were white. My bad.

 

[Michael OShay]

X2 on junebuggena'[s posts. Your birds are Production Reds, which lack the white underfluff and white tail feathers of Isa Browns (one of a number of labels under which Red Sex Links are marketed) and given the size of its comb and wattles at 6-7 weeks, the bird in the bottom pic is likely a cockerel. I posted a pic of a flock of Isa Browns below so you can see what I am referring to regarding the white underfluff and white tail feathers.

 

[ChickPixie]

oh god, ok... whats your opinion on the other chick? She has black on her wing feathers too. If you are certain they are cockerels ill be taking them back tomorrow!
This is my lohmann Brown chick, is this what the ISA Browns will look like at this age too?

 

[Michael OShay]

oh god, ok... whats your opinion on the other chick? She has black on her wing feathers too. If you are certain they are cockerels ill be taking them back tomorrow!
This is my lohmann Brown chick, is this what the ISA Browns will look like at this age too?

I don't see anything screaming cockerel with the Production Red chick in the top pick so I'm thinking it's probably a pullet. Unfortunately Production Reds can't be sexed by color. Your Lohmann Brown chick is definitely a pullet. Yes, your Isa Browns will look much the same as your Lohmann Brown. Lohmann Brown is another label under which some hatcheries market their Red Sex Links so the two look very similar. Male Red Sex Links are primarily white with some reddish feathers in the saddle area. Besides Isa Brown and Lohmann Brown, other labels under which Red Sex Links are marketed include Red Star, Gold Sex Link, Gold Star, Cinnamon Queen, Red Shaver, Babcock Brown, Warrens, Golden Comet, Golden Buff, etc.but no matter which label they are sold under females are reddish (or goldish) with white underfluff and white tail feathers and males are white with some reddish feathers in the saddle area. And no matter which label they are sold under, Red Sex Link pullets are egg laying machines. )

 

[Kentucky chick]

My 8 week "Isa" hen or roo? She's bigger than the others.