Not Sure If You've Got A Pullet Or Cockerel? Click Here! Thread 2

[LilJoe]

Curious on the sex? They are both marked the same with a light comb and grey feet no pink to comb

Look like pullets. Age and breed?

 

[Jcbreeders]

Look like pullets. Age and breed?

California whites and between 1 month to 2 months was bought at our tractor supply as babies.

 

[manorhousechix]

Any ideas on these 6? So far all look like pullets to me but I’m curious about the sebright and how large the comb is on the white Amber.
#1


#2



#3



#4


#5



#6

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Any ideas on these 6? So far all look like pullets to me but I’m curious about the sebright and how large the comb is on the white Amber.

How old are they?
Production birds, like the amberlinks, tend to have larger combs.

 

[manorhousechix]

How old are they?
Production birds, like the amberlinks, tend to have larger combs.

They’re all about 5 1/2 - 7 weeks. #4 is the youngest. #1 is the oldest. Thanks for the Amber info- I had no idea!

 

[LilJoe]

California whites and between 1 month to 2 months was bought at our tractor supply as babies.

Definitely pullets then.

 

[Jcbreeders]

Thank u all because pullets where what we were hoping they were

 

[Faraday40]

Any ideas on these 6? So far all look like pullets to me but I’m curious about the sebright and how large the comb is on the white Amber.
#1
View attachment 1365629 View attachment 1365630

#2

View attachment 1365631 View attachment 1365632 View attachment 1365633

#3

View attachment 1365635 View attachment 1365636 View attachment 1365637

#4

View attachment 1365638 View attachment 1365639
#5

View attachment 1365640

#6

View attachment 1365641

Wow. At the moment, hey look like all pullets to me too.

 

[snoozing chick]

Sexing a chick varies widely with breed. Sometimes the testosterone works it's magic early... my Serama males are mostly obvious at 3-4 weeks. The combs start growing and turning pink or red. That doesn't guarantee that all the other chicks are pullets... there could always be a late bloomer. So really, what we are doing is identifying cockerels as early as possible, and waiting to see on the rest. For most breeds, usually by about 8 weeks, if you don't see male traits, you probably have a pullet.

Your EE is not showing any male traits yet.
I'm looking at 3 things:
1) "Her" pea comb is flat and low, no sign of reddening. As she gets older, you will see a thin narrow ridge growing down the center of the comb. If she is a cockerel, the ridge will be wide and lumpy looking and show some pink or red.
2) Side view shows the pattern on her wings to be evenly distributed. If she is a pullet, as I suspect, this pattern will stay even. A cockerel will grow patches of color on the wing, red patches for a gold colored chick like yours.
3) Her breast is salmon colored. That is a female trait. If you start seeing black feathers growing on the breast, then she's a boy.
The EE is too young to be 100% sure. They do a lot of growing and changing at 5 weeks, so keep an eye out and look for the signs. If I had to bet, I'd bet pullet.

I am less familiar with Cochins, but I am not seeing any obvious male traits yet. The comb seems smallish, not pink, and no wattle development. Since this bird is a solid color (so far!), you have less traits to work with... comb and wattles are about the only signs at this age.
Male specific feathering usually begins closer to 10-12 weeks, where long pointed saddle and hackle feathers start to grow, and the sickle shaped tail feathers that roosters have will begin to come in. The comb and wattles will usually give away a cockerel long before these feathers develop, so hopefully you won't have long to wait.
If I had to bet, I'd also bet on the Cochin being a pullet, but I wouldn't bet much... I have never raised them and am not familiar with their rate of development.

Hope you can post an update in a week or two so we can see how they turn out.

Thank you so much for the detailed explanations, that helps a lot.

 

[manorhousechix]

Wow. At the moment, hey look like all pullets to me too.

Amazing! And, funny, I got extras because I figured I’d get some roosters.. thanks for your opinion!