P. Diddy? or Petunia?

[DelaneE]

All,

With my very limited chicken knowledge, I have almost certainly decided that this little chick is going to be P. Diddy, not Petunia as I had planned. We don't have a rooster and were planning to get one, so when I purchased two Blue Australorp chickss and one started to look a little "roosterish" to me, I wasn't upset at all. I just want a confirmation from ya'll on whether or not I should let this little one get used to his/her new name.

Thank you in advance for any help provided!
Delane

 

[ccshambhala]

how old is it? It's comb is not very red for a boy....

 

[wildcat chix]

Don't see any saddle feathers, either. Looks like a Petunia to me....

 

[Endur50]

Ditto

 

[DelaneE]

Sorry, its about 6 weeks old, I'm just surprised! Its so much bigger than the other one that we got at the same time!

Can someone tell me what "saddle feathers" are? I'm really new to this.

Happy that ya'll think its a Petunia though! Thats great as well! I'll just have to stop calling it P.Diddy.

 

[Sebrightsrock]

Saddle feathers are the feathers on the back of a chicken. Roosters get sickle shaped feather (or pointed) where as hens have more spoon shaped feathers.

 

[Sebrightsrock]

Sorry there are only sadddle feathers on roosters. My bad.

 

[fuzziecreatures]

Could still be a boy at only 6 weeks. Legs look thick for the body. The pointed feathers don't come in for a little while yet.
I have 5 broody hatched boys who didn't get those pointed feathers until 12-13 weeks. Now I do have 14 week old birds that don't have those feathers and I can't decide if they are boys or girls...

 

[DelaneE]

Thanks everyone! I suppose time will tell, but we got more Petunia votes than P.Diddy ones... maybe for now I'll just call it Chick or something

 

[hdowden]

saddle feathers are the base of the tail and most of my chicks don't start to get them till they are 4+ months old and only cockerels will get these slender pointed feathers at the base of the tail. hackles will also be slender and pointed just as the saddles but they are the feathers around the neck, a hens hackles will stay fat and rounded at the tips these start to come in around the same time as saddles do/would.

I'm leaning towards a cockerel by 10 weeks you should defiantly know its gender and can you please update at 10 weeks of age