No tail feathers??

[teresac]

This is my first EVER baby chick fest. I have 3 BR & 2 BO. They are 7 days old. All are growing fast but 1 of the BO is not developing tail feathers. All of the others are. Is this normal? Could that be a sign of gender? She is growing and seems happy. Always the first one to check us out when we check on them.

Thanks for any info. Semi-worried baby chick momma.

 

[E.G.Glayer]

Dont worry, they are just like kids, puppies, kittens and everything else that grows, some just develop a little slower than others. I have 21 2 week olds now and some have more profound feathering than the rest but the slower growers will catch up soon enough.

 

[PotterWatch]

It could also be a sign of a male chick. In general, males tend to get their tail feathers later than females. However, that by itself definitely is not enough to say for sure if it is male or female.

 

[teresac]

Thank you so much!

I will just them do their thing.

 

[Jenski]

I imagine it's a possibility there may be a gender difference. Just for fun, why don't you take pics of all the chicks as they grow. Once you know the genders, you will have a good record of what each pullet/cockerel looked like when it was young. It will help you develop an experienced eye at guessing chick gender - - and your fellow BYC members will hold you in great reverence.