rose combs are making me crazy!!! * PICS added...thoughts?

[ebonykawai]

OMG, does anyone else have rose combs and how, pray tell, can you tell the difference between the males and females?????? un

My younger bunch is a month old and I still have absolutely no clue whatsoever. I couldn't go by feathering this time because they all feathered out at about the same rate. Their legs all look about the same. I'm hoping I've gotten SUPER lucky again and picked out all girls, but I have my doubts. Having luck twice in a row doesn't usually happen over here sans a good draught of Felix Felicitous.

At what age do you start seeing a difference in combs for rose comb chicks? When do they start growing and turning red for the males?? Gah, this is driving me crazy.

 

[ebonykawai]

Hasn't anyone else raised rose comb chicks?

 

[BearSwampChick]

I have 2 three week old SLWs. The bigger one's comb is still flat but getting really red and it is developing wattles already, so I'm guessing my she is a he! The other one is smaller and the comb is still yellowish and her coloring is different--blacker with more defined lacing. They almost look like different breeds.

 

[Azure]

We have rosecombs and tell the sex by their tails, the pullets form quicker and are longer at first, also the males do have longer wattles, but to be honest we have had cockerels with no wattles and short tails lol that then lay an egg, try their personality and behaviour too because on some rosecombs it is very difficult to tell until later.

 

[BearSwampChick]

Yep, the little SLW's tail feathers are definitely longer! Well, at least I don't have to rename Henrietta!

 

[Rte.66_chicks]

I have 5 SLWs, and the males developed bigger, much redder combs by 3-4 weeks. The girls combs are still mostly grey at about 8 weeks. The boys didn't develop any tail feathers until just recently. The boys are also more friendly, but I don't know if that is sex-related or not.

 

[ebonykawai]

Oh, excellent, thank you all for your help!! My RC RIRs are a month old and there is no red in their combs yet at all. I tried to choose females by going with feathering and legs, and so picked out the 5 I kept after my hatch, but it was tough. Maybe I did OK. My SC RIRs were simple to tell sex by 3 weeks. These really made me a bit crazy.

Thanks again, I so appreciate this! I know nothing about rose comb development.

 

[ebonykawai]

Another question. When the combs start to turn red, is there an area that starts first? Like the end of it near the beak or the opposite end on top of the head?

 

[BearSwampChick]

Quote:
Mine was pretty much the whole comb area at the same time. The wattles started developing a few days after that.

 

[ebonykawai]

Thank you!!!