My little chicks are a week old now! Wow they grow fast. My question is about differences I noticed in the 2 Blue Andalusians and the 2 Barnevelders. 1 of each breed has very big long wing feathers and the start of tail feathers, while 1 of each breed has tiny wing feathers and no tail feathers. I've head something about little roo's developing feathers more slowly than little hens. Has anyone found this to be true? Or do I just have pullets developing at different rates?
This is my first time raising chickens so no expert here. I have noticed in my bunch what I think are hens 80% of them almost feathered at 4 weeks. The ones I think are roos seem to be smaller, less feathered and more active. The roos have well developed combs, wattles and are a deeper red in color. This has just been my observation and I might be all wet. John
Since many common breeds are bred slow feathering fathers to fast feathering hens so that the chicks can be feather sexed at the hatcherys, it is possible that some of the boys get that slow feathering gene and thus also are slow to feather. However, it may not be the case in all roosters, and same goes for hens.