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

[RCCheshire]

Just wondering if you all can help determine if I have two roos on my hands. The first one is a Red Comet/Svart Hona mix and the second is a Mille Fleur d'uccle and they are both six weeks old. Thanks in advance!

 

[AlleysChicks]

Just wondering if you all can help determine if I have two roos on my hands. The first one is a Red Comet/Svart Hona mix and the second is a Mille Fleur d'uccle and they are both six weeks old. Thanks in advance!

Looks like you are right. Two handsome boys.

 

[RCCheshire]

Looks like you are right. Two handsome boys.

Thank you!

 

[Cerise1924]

Hello!

I became convinced that I could tell the sex of my Dark Brahma chicks at 1 week old, based on interesting tips from a British breeder. She said that the girls have eyeliner, and that they have more elongated wing feathers at that age. Two of my chicks (Shimmer and Sabre) looked that way, whereas the other (Spark) had no eyeliner, and very stubby wing feathers.

Now, at two weeks, the differences are even more pronounced!

If you look at the pics of Sabre, you will see that (she?) has:
-distinct eyeliner
-very feathery feet
-long wing feathers that touch in the back
-fast developing shoulder feathers
-a straight, narrow, pronounced tail

If you look at Spark, you will see that (he) shows:
-no eyeliner
-barely any foot feathering
-shorter wings
-scanty shoulder feathers
.-a wide puff tail

Shimmer (not pictured here) has all of Sabre's characteristics, although the eyeliner is more subtle.

Could anyone weigh in on these observations? I know that this is generally to early too determine the sex of chicks, but the side-by-side comparisons are very marked, to my eyes.

Thanks for any input!

Photo 1: Sabre (suspected female), with her pretty eyeliner and poufy feet


Photo 2: Sabre, below and left (wing feathers touching in back, narrow tail) and Spark, above and right (shorter wings, shorter tail, not much shoulder feathering)


Photo 3: Sabre, left, with her jutting tail and feathered feet. Spark, right, with a dark face and naked feet.



Photo 4: Spark, my suspected cockerel.

 

[Chicken5555]

At the risk of being stubbornly curious, I have just one more note on this, even though my theory doesn't seem to have much credibility...
Doing more research, Wikipedia seems to indicate that slow vs fast feathering is a sex-linked trait common in Brahmas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_feathering_in_chickens
"sex-linked delayed-feathering is very frequent, particularly in meat-type breeds like Brahma"

Am I reading this article wrong? It doesn't mention the eyeliner at all, but it does mention the faster/slower feathering in.



Hello. I am not able to tell you which or if both of your chicks are male or female. They are adorable though.
From the reading I've done, feather sexing is done by looking only at the primary feather length compared to the covert feather length on freshly hatched and day old chicks. The feathers will pretty much be the same length if the chick is a boy and the you will see alternating long and short feathers if the chick is a girl.
Only a few breeds and breed mixes can be sexed using this method though.

 

[Cerise1924]

Hello. I am not able to tell you which or if both of your chicks are male or female. They are adorable though.
From the reading I've done, feather sexing is done by looking only at the primary feather length compared to the covert feather length on freshly hatched and day old chicks. The feathers will pretty much be the same length if the chick is a boy and the you will see alternating long and short feathers if the chick is a girl.
Only a few breeds and breed mixes can be sexed using this method though.

Thank you so much for your reply and the kind words. I do think they are cute, whatever they may be!

On the suspected roo, I saw only same-length feathers at days 2-3, while the suspected pullets did show the alternating lengths. Beyond that, I have come across more info on fast vs slow feathering, pullets vs. cockerels. Although this a chart about Cochins, the pattern shown exactly matches the differences I am seeing in my Brahmas:

 

[Mr Pet]

Male or a female....Sorry for asking again but this time with better pics..

 

[Ravynscroft]

Male or a female....Sorry for asking again but this time with better pics..

Male...

 

[Mr Pet]

Male...

What about tail

 

[Ravynscroft]

What about tail

What about it?