Lavender Orpington Gender Help

Sprather88

In the Brooder
Aug 14, 2020
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I have 6 lavender orpingtons, 9 weeks old now. My fear is only one is a girl. I cannot care for 6 rooster. Number 5 was uncooperative. What do you think, only one hen or is their any hope for the others?
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I have an almost 10-week-old Splash Orpington pullet who still has a completely yellow (and tiny) comb. I can’t see #5, but they are all looking like cockerels to me. Hopefully some experts can chime in on here. :(
 
I have an almost 10-week-old Splash Orpington pullet who still has a completely yellow (and tiny) comb. I can’t see #5, but they are all looking like cockerels to me. Hopefully some experts can chime in on here. :(
Thanks I'm fairly certain #3 is a girl...she looks way different than the others in combing and even face shape. I'm worried to rest are boys.
 
I have 6 lavender orpingtons, 9 weeks old now. My fear is only one is a girl. I cannot care for 6 rooster. Number 5 was uncooperative. What do you think, only one hen or is their any hope for the others?
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I think it is still too early to tell for sure. Orpingtons can be difficult to gender ID at this age. None of them are obviously boys in my view. Possibly other posters will have different opinions but I would advise hanging onto these until they are 12 to 14 weeks and then re-post updated photos with good close-up profiles of the head and comb as well as side view photos of the body of each one.😊
 
I have 6 lavender orpingtons, 9 weeks old now. My fear is only one is a girl. I cannot care for 6 rooster. Number 5 was uncooperative. What do you think, only one hen or is their any hope for the others?
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Hi. I am sorry that I cannot be a whole lotta help but all but #1 look like probable pullets to me right now and number one just looks very different in it’s coloring and that is causing me to think it might be a roo. However, I tried to look at the hackle feathers on all of them to see if I could tell if any were pointed in order to determine that they were males but all your birds look like they have been wet and their feathers have dried and curled up. They look roughed up and actually a little in the raggedy side so it’s hard to tell. Have they been dust bathing properly or maybe rolling around in some gravel after standing in the rain or roosting in the trees at all? You might want to prevent them from rolling around on the rocks after they are wet in order to not be so hard in their feathers health. I could not tell the direction of their feathers on either whether they were rounded or pointed. They are all beautiful young birds. Please don’t think I am insulting them or you in anyway. They just might be developing some bad habits for their feather housekeeping.
 
I think it is still too early to tell for sure. Orpingtons can be difficult to gender ID at this age. None of them are obviously boys in my view. Possibly other posters will have different opinions but I would advise hanging onto these until they are 12 to 14 weeks and then re-post updated photos with good close-up profiles of the head and comb as well as side view photos of the body of each one.😊
Oh yes! Wonderful ideas. Also when you retake your pictures be sure to take really good views of their feet showing the back of the feet. The males will have very small but developing spurs on the back of the feet. Take pics not in the direct sun or shadows with very good views of the necks and hackles with a good view directly above their backs which will give us the information we are looking for regarding whether or not their hackle feathers are rounded or pointed that I was talking about.
 
Thanks I'm fairly certain #3 is a girl...she looks way different than the others in combing and even face shape. I'm worried to rest are boys.
You could definitely be right, that ones showing a lot less comb and wattles!
This isn’t the best quality pic but just for comparison this is my Orpington (gray, in the back) at 9 weeks
 

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