New Hampshire chicks. Do cockerels feather in faster that pullets?

chameleon

Chirping
Dec 23, 2016
414
89
96
Garden Route, South Africa
I have 5 New Hampshire chicks that are almost 3 weeks old. I noticed yesterday that one has a comb that's noticibly larger and getting just a hint of pink already, so I'm pretty sure it's a cockerel. Then I noticed that his tail has feathered in quite nicely already, and only one of the others has significant tail feathers, the rest still have virtually no tails. So I was curious, are the early tail feathers a characteristic of a rooster?
I can post pics later if necesary.
 
I finally got some pics.

The cockerel?

There are two like this but the other one doesn't like being handled and I don't like to stress them unnecesarily.

A pullet?

There are 3 like this, but don't want to stress them all.

I know it's technically a bit early, but the difference is so big already I wonder if you could confirm my suspicions?

ETA: A side by side for good measure

Sorry, that was the best I could get, the two boys on the left and one of the girls on the right?
 
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I finally got some pics.

The cockerel?

There are two like this but the other one doesn't like being handled and I don't like to stress them unnecesarily.

A pullet?

There are 3 like this, but don't want to stress them all.

I know it's technically a bit early, but the difference is so big already I wonder if you could confirm my suspicions?

ETA: A side by side for good measure

Sorry, that was the best I could get, the two boys on the left and one of the girls on the right?

I think the first one is a rooster, and the 2nd one is a hen. We'll have to see. :)
 
I think the first one is a rooster, and the 2nd one is a hen. We'll have to see. :)

Thanks
smile.png
 
Thanks. Is it normal for New Hampshire roos to feather in faster than the pullets? I never noticed such a difference with my other chicks. I also got 6 Koekoeks at the same time from the same breeder and some are significantly more feathered that others. I ordered day olds but the breeder took so long to deliver them that they were almost 2 weeks when they arrived, so I'm wondering if it's normal for chicks to feather in at different speeds or if the breeder maybe gave me a mix of ages?
 


Thanks. Is it normal for New Hampshire roos to feather in faster than the pullets? I never noticed such a difference with my other chicks. I also got 6 Koekoeks at the same time from the same breeder and some are significantly more feathered that others. I ordered day olds but the breeder took so long to deliver them that they were almost 2 weeks when they arrived, so I'm wondering if it's normal for chicks to feather in at different speeds or if the breeder maybe gave me a mix of ages?

I've never had any New Hampshires so I wouldn't know. Usually, roos feather faster then hens from my experience with chickens but I think it depends on the breed.
 

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