questions about sexing birds

[emjay]

so is reddening of comb and wattles always a rule for deciding if a youngin' is a roo or pullet?

I can see at 4 weeks of age if a baby has bright red comb that would be a good indicator, but, what if at 7 - 8 weeks old they are red combed and wattled and then some starting turning red at start of week 8 ?

My babies just turned 8 weeks old, some have redder combs then others, one has a predominant comb (I am certain that one is a roo)

they are not sparring. they do the typical faceoff, but ends as fast as it starts.

they all carry themselves more horizontal than upright and proud like a roo would.
they all have full tails.

nothing screams roo on them other then some red combs.

some are EE's on both sides. and some are mixes ( all have EE dad)

do some breeds develop combs faster then others. some of the babies have Orpington/white leghorn in them.

if roos are roos based on red combs, then I'm in trouble. haha. that would be wrong. don't want anymore boys. and I don't think too many other people do either.
and I don't want to send them to freezer camp.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different breeds develop differently. With your mixes, some are going to have a pea comb, but some may have a single comb. Depends on the heritage of the EE Roo. Redder wattles and comb is an indication of a rooster, but with your mixes I would not count on it being an absolute sign. Any way you could post a few pictures? At 8 weeks, we should be able to give you a pretty good indication. Besides, EE's often have nice colors and patterns.

How to post pictures/avatar
http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26838