Quick developer what am I pic

[crazyhen]

Is this a male or female. It is 2 1/2 weeks old and is developing very fast. Jean

 

[speckledhen]

Way too early to tell. The ones that feather out the fastest and get their tails almost right away are usually the pullets, though.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree with speckled. The cockerels are the ones to feather slower.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
I agree with speckled. The cockerels are the ones to feather slower.

Does it depend on breed? I've never noticed any difference in Silkies, and this is the first time I've heard of this.... Interesting!

 

[Beau coop]

Can you only tell by feathers? What about combs? Especially on d"Uccles.

 

[mikarod]

Looks like a pullet...and judging just from the color of the feathers...Buff Orpington.

 

[speckledhen]

It's not always the case, Chris. I dont do Silkies in any way, shape or form (and how could you tell anything on a Silkie anyway?), so I cant say about those. It works that way almost every time on the Blue Orps and the Barred Rocks. In the Blue Orps, I have almost naked cockerels with no tails at four weeks old, while the girls are nice and fluffy with little tails already sprouting. In my last batch, I did have one cockerel that feathered like a girl and one pullet that feathered out like a cockerel, however, you can count on that difference to tell sex almost every time. Barred Rock girls get their tails starting at a few days old, while the boys still have that round little rump.
I have no D'Uccles so cant say about those, but I do know that among a group of three week old D'Uccles at the feedstore, it was obvious by combs which were the cockerels already.

 

[the1much]

an old mexican lady once told us, when their babies, the pullets have the longer tail,,,, and so far she was right