Question about Cinnamon Queen hybrids?

[ccmarie]

I have a trio of Cinnamon queen chicks, and I had a question about male coloring. I thought that one was a male, because it's very light colored, but the head is red, and now that wing feathers are white but with a hint of red to them too. I'll get a picture in the next couple days. The other two are much redder.

It's a little pathetic, I can't even tell the gender of sex-link chickens

 

[donrae]

How old are they, and did you get them from a hatchery or private breeder?

If they're young, like still with down and just feathering in, and you bought them from a hatchery, they all should be pullets.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I have a trio of Cinnamon queen chicks, and I had a question about male coloring. I thought that one was a male, because it's very light colored, but the head is red, and now that wing feathers are white but with a hint of red to them too. I'll get a picture in the next couple days. The other two are much redder.

It's a little pathetic, I can't even tell the gender of sex-link chickens

Some of the pullets will have considerable white on them. But the red on the head? That's a pullet. The cockerels are truly white, with red/brown that comes in on their saddles, backs and wings as they mature. Hope that helps. Plus, at 5 1/2 weeks, see the comb and wattles on that feller? Pullets won't sprout those until they approach sexual maturity at 14 weeks. Even if the coloration wasn't distinctive? The combs and wattles sexing at 6 weeks is a very sure thing.

 

[ccmarie]

Thanks. They're only two weeks old. I got them from a private seller who in turn got them from Ideal hatchery, but as hatching eggs, so I hatched them myself. It's all white except the head. Let me get my camera and get a picture.

 

[ccmarie]

Not very good, but here's a few pictures... the head looked a bit darker when she was younger.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Thanks. They're only two weeks old. I got them from a private seller who in turn got them from Ideal hatchery, but as hatching eggs, so I hatched them myself. It's all white except the head. Let me get my camera and get a picture.

Ideal sells hatching eggs? Who knew.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Not very good, but here's a few pictures... the head looked a bit darker when she was younger.

If, if these are sexlinks direct from the hatchery, not eggs from somebody who bred their sexlinks that THEY got from the hatchery....

Then I'd say that one is cockerel. 5 and a half weeks? You'll know for absolute certain, cause it will sprout red wattles and comb.

 

[ccmarie]

Here's a better picture of his/her head color.
The person I got them from said they were from Ideal, and I'm pretty sure she meant directly (though she hasn't answered every time I asked...a little suspicious).
They're only two weeks old. I'm thinking about selling a few, since more hatched than I expected, so I'm hoping I don't have to wait three more weeks.

 

[ccmarie]

The other two Cinnamon queens are a lot redder.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Maybe you care, and I suspect you do, but sexing RSLs only works once. In a nutshell, you put a red/gold rooster over silver/white hen and you get sexable chicks by color at hatch.

Since you got eggs, my concern is this. Did those eggs come from Cinnamon Queens? If so, they are not sex links and the chicks wouldn't be sexed at hatch by color. That only works the first time, as I described above.

Simple answer is quite likely that since you cannot get a straight answer from the person who gave you the eggs, you'll not know. Thus, do not be a big hurry to judge the sex of the chicks. Color at hatch won't help you on second generation sexlinks. BUT.... remember.... those combs and wattles sprout on the cockerels at 6 weeks and those are very, very accurate in sexing your chicks. Good luck to you.