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

[Nimueh Alene]

They're too young to sex with much accuracy, but there are a few tricks that may be helpful:Feather growth & body posture & personality.

In many breeds, the females grow in their wing & tail feathers faster. When they're 1-2 weeks old, the females will have wings that reach to (or past) the end of their bodies. They also grow little tails by the end of their 1st week while the males still have only chick fluff & stumpy short wings. Males will stand slightly taller & alert. Males may also be less skittish. Boys will still have chick fluff in areas while their sisters of the same age have feathers. Sometimes the males seem more friendly / playful which is why my kids always fall in love with roosters. LOL

Here are some examples of what I mean. (Chicks = 3 weeks old)

Below: female chick has long tail & looks very well feathered
View attachment 1304161

Left - male; notice the stance, lack of feathers on the wing shoulders, & stumpy tail
right - female; more rounded body posture, longer tail
View attachment 1304162

Pic below, the female is in front.
View attachment 1304163

think I have 4 cockerels... sigh.
They are the prettiest ones too.. .Time will tell.. .I'll post again at 8 weeks of age. Thought one maybe a Welsummer cockerel but legs aren't yellow.

 

[Faraday40]

think I have 4 cockerels... sigh.
They are the prettiest ones too.. .Time will tell.. .I'll post again at 8 weeks of age. Thought one maybe a Welsummer cockerel but legs aren't yellow.

Hang in there. Never make a decision until you're sure of the gender. They change a lot from week to week and can easily surprise you. If you hatched them yourself, then you know for sure they are the same age. If you purchased them, then a few days age difference can mean big size & development difference.

Speckled Sussex, Welsummers, and Brown Leghorns all look very similar as chicks. Male & Female Leghorns grow large combs.

I once ordered SS & accidentally got a Welsummer too.
The SS had a bit of yellow-butter colored bellies, which the Wellie did not.
1st pic: Middle chick is my welsummer. 2nd pic: Wellie on left; SS on right.

 

[Faraday40]

Thanks a bunch! I am definitely going to keep an eye on it. We have friends who live out in the county who offered to take in any roos, so once we know for sure, chickie has a home.

That's a good arrangement. I have a few people like that who will take my extras. I ended up not actually eating "Dinner" He went to such a friend because Dinner was simply too pretty, gentle, and friendly. How could I eat such a well-mannered boy? His "brother" ended up another sister, so I got rid of her as well. Thankfully I had one "unauthorized broody hatch" at the end of 2017. I happened to get a male blk/lav split from that. Hopefully I can breed him & finally get a decent lavender orp roo.
Here's "Dinner" before he left to live with a friend:

 

[CluckinBell]

Kylo Hen's comb is not growing as fast, it seems, so maybe she was just in a bawkward growing phase. Updated picture.. still huge compared to the other girls, and very scared at being picked up and being anywhere but her bin.

 

[Wimomof2]

Cockerel?

 

[Wimomof2]

Pullet? Was told 4 months

 

[Alice EG]

@Wimomof2 Both of them are cockerels.

 

[Tiana's chickens]

Pullet? Was told 4 monthsView attachment 1330956 View attachment 1330956 View attachment 1330959

I think your guesses are right, one roo and one pullet, the pullet doesn't show any rooster feathers and is coming into point of lay which turns the comb and wattles red

 

[Nksg75]

hi,
I know sexing polish can be more difficult early, however I thought I would give it a try.
The chick is 4 weeks old, and a frizzle.
I have more, and I will post as soon as I take decent pics of them.

 

[Faraday40]

New to seramas & Old English Game. These 4 chicks just turned 3 weeks old today. I read that they develop combs/wattles very quickly. I'll probably know gender next week, but I'm putting the pics out now if anyone wants to guess.


Seramas: I think the white one is silkied. It's much smaller than the gold one. The gold has personality +. It flies up to the edge of the tote as soon as the lid is removed. It's a very good flier and loves to perch on top of the kids' heads. It's larger than the other serama & OEG. Of course the eggs were varied in size, so it may not mean much.

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OEGs (DS really likes these.) I'm pretty sure the smaller one is female. Her lines are crisp, comb is super tiny, body is petite, and wings grew in very quickly. The grey one I have no idea, but DS calls it HIS.