Salmon Faverolle Boy or Girl?

[posey]

Hi All:
This 4 month old is from a hatchery so the colors are all wrong. I ordered all pullets but you know how that goes

. I know the coloring is more like that of a male, I have two lovely females and they look completely different than this one, however, I am new to this breed.

I don't see the pointed neck hackle or saddle feathers that are typical of males of most breeds. The feathers in those areas are rounded, just like the "girls." This one has the same size comb as the others and its body is even smaller in size than the pullets of the same breed.

Do I have a cockerel or is this a girl with totally messed up colors?




These are the saddle feathers


Does this breed usually start to lay around 6 months, like most breeds?
Thanks for your help,
Posey

 

[my sunwolf]

Wow, you've got a fascinating bird there!

At 4 months that is a pullet, but I have never seen a Faverolles hen with that kind of coloring. The feet are a little yellower than a Faverolles usually are, as well as more sparsely feathered, so it's potentially crossed with something else, though I have to say that the general body shape says Faverolles all over! Maybe a breed specialist can give more insight...

 

[milo1108]

That definitely looks like a hen. The neck and the saddle feathers would be more pointed if it was a roo. It must be crossed with something else if those types of chickens usually aren't that colored for females.

 

[juliechick]

Wow, that is some beard on that hen! She's beautiful.

 

[donrae]

The bearded lady lol.
I agree she looks like she's mixed with something very fluffy---I thought cochin but then she'd probably have more feathers on her legs, not less. Maybe Orp?

Well, you'll never know, but I do think it looks like a girl.
A girl who will never have a cold neck lol.

 

[posey]

Thanks everyone for your replies.
So the general thought is that this a pullet.
I'm so glad cause I have 3 dead ringer boys that I have to re-home.
2 giant cochins and 1 buff brahma they are very nice looking with great personalities and I hate to let them go but I can't keep all these boys.
So glad that you all think this crazy mixed up colorful one is a girl.
Have a great Fall
Posey

 

[ESofVA]

Pls let us know when it lays an egg or starts crowing! I have started with Faverolles as my main breed and I am really interested as to what sex yours is. Mine are from 2 different hatcheries. I have some light, some darker and some in-between colored hens. I also have 2 roos right now. My oldest ones are 3 months old. The pullets have tails rather like the one in your picture whereas neither roo really has any tail yet. I guess theirs will grow in later. One is from 1 hatchery and the 2nd roo is from a different hatchery.



I am trying to start deciding which of the chicks I want to keep. Going to try to sell my extras at the swap here at the end of the month.

 

[dretd]

Pullet.

Last year there was a lot of talk about one of the hatcheries supplying very dark off-type Faverolles that one person noted 'were mentally deficient, even for a chicken'. My Faverolles is pretty fluffy, so I don't think yours is necessarily a 'mix'.

I may have one of those chickens as my Faverolles I got last year, sweet though she may be, has chicken Aspergers and can't cope with social interatctions with the flock. Poor Dear. She was not as dark as yours, but did have some black on her body (feather tips mainly) and her beard was pretty black. When she molted and got her feathers this spring, she lost most of her black and is mostly normal colored now.

Good luck!

 

[posey]

Pullet.

Last year there was a lot of talk about one of the hatcheries supplying very dark off-type Faverolles that one person noted 'were mentally deficient, even for a chicken'. My Faverolles is pretty fluffy, so I don't think yours is necessarily a 'mix'.

I may have one of those chickens as my Faverolles I got last year, sweet though she may be, has chicken Aspergers and can't cope with social interatctions with the flock. Poor Dear. She was not as dark as yours, but did have some black on her body (feather tips mainly) and her beard was pretty black. When she molted and got her feathers this spring, she lost most of her black and is mostly normal colored now.

Good luck!

That is really interesting about the color change after the molt. I can't wait to see what happens here. My lil one is pretty social and acts normal to me, I don't see any difference between this one and the others, personality-wise.

 

[posey]

Pls let us know when it lays an egg or starts crowing! I have started with Faverolles as my main breed and I am really interested as to what sex yours is. Mine are from 2 different hatcheries. I have some light, some darker and some in-between colored hens. I also have 2 roos right now. My oldest ones are 3 months old. The pullets have tails rather like the one in your picture whereas neither roo really has any tail yet. I guess theirs will grow in later. One is from 1 hatchery and the 2nd roo is from a different hatchery.



I am trying to start deciding which of the chicks I want to keep. Going to try to sell my extras at the swap here at the end of the month.

Good luck with yours. I was surprised that these girls are smaller than standard size chickens but not bantam size. Just somewhere inbetween are yours the same way?
I will let you know we have an egg or the dreaded crow.