Please read why does he have this yellow thing if he is a chick

[MarzBar874]

My white chick is older than my black one because her wing feathers are fully grown when my black isnt but that's not the case why does my black chick have the yellow thing ontop of his beak is that to do with gender or breed. What does it have to do with and why does my white chick not have it?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

My white chick is older than my black one because her wing feathers are fully grown when my black isnt but that's not the case why does my black chick have the yellow thing ontop of his beak is that to do with gender or breed. What does it have to do with and why does my white chick not have it?

Hi there.
The part you are seeing is the comb - different breeds and, yes, genders will develop their combs at different rates. The difference in the two birds could be due to their differing breed or it could indicate that your more developed bird is a cockerel and the lesser developed a pullet. At the age that they are now it is really a matter of time to know which it is. You mention that you feel the white chick is older due to feathering - and that may be the case - but even with chicks of the same age there can be some fairly different rates of feathering and, often that is a matter of gender (females generally feather more quickly than males). How long have you had them? Given the difference in feathering and comb development it may well be that you have one cockerel and one pullet - but I would not get set on that being fact just yet.

 

[sourland]

The black chick is a single comb variety. It's hard to see but the other chick may have some comb type other than single. Different breeds have different type combs.

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. I wouldn't be able to answer your question any better than Ol Grey Mare has done I'll just say, please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your chicks.

 

[LRH97]

x2 with everybody. Welcome to BYC. Remember, no question is a stupid question so don't hesitate to ask! We're here to help.

 

[MarzBar874]

@sourland. So it has nothing to do with gender just with breed

 

[familyfarm1]

@sourland . So it has nothing to do with gender just with breed

Yes.

 

[drumstick diva]

You've said today the chicks are 1-2 weeks old, the one(dark) with the yellow on his head, has started developing his "COMB" early. The white one has not.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

@sourland . So it has nothing to do with gender just with breed

Yes and no - the different comb types doe tend to develop at different rates, but it can also be related to gender as male chicks generally develop their comb size and color at a faster rate than female birds.

 

[BantamLover21]

We're glad you joined us!

The yellow thing is a comb, which all chickens have. Chickens do have varying types of comb, though (single, rose, etc.) and some are more prominent at younger ages. If your chick's comb starts growing rapidly and getting redder, then it would mean it is probably a cockerel. However, right now, the comb is no indication of gender.