Sapphire Sky, Jubilee Orpington, Barred Rock, Salmon Faverolle 6-9 weeks old roo/cockerel or pullet (and Sapphire sky question)

[nashvillecitychick]

Hi! We have four alleged pullets which were all allegedly hatched on April 1 and 3 (so about 9 weeks ago). The Jubilee Orpington (JO), Barred Rock (BR), and Salmon Faverolle (SF) all were picked up when they were allegedly 10-12 days old, but I really have some doubts that the SF was as old as the others. We got the Sapphire Sky (SS) just a week ago from the same local hatchery, and we were told she was the same age as the BR and JO - She is so much smaller than our others that I have some doubts about her being 9 weeks old. (But also she didn't have access to the all-you-an-eat cicada buffet that our other chicks had, and our others seemed to double in size during peak cicada week!)

I'm positive the BR is a girl - we did a dna test for her along with another chick we had (other one a roo and now at a sanctuary as we can't legally have roos). I'm also pretty sure the SF is a girl based on coloring. I'm curious what everyone thinks about the sex of the JB and the SS. The SS is a newer mix and there aren't many pictures online. To me, it carries itself more upright than the other girls, but it had much dainter legs than those had and zero color on its comb (as compared to our others which do have some color). The JO I suspect is a pullet as it has very little comb, but I know orpingtons can be tricky.

Would love to know what folks think the sex of these chicks are!

Also, if anyone has a SS, I'd love to hear more! We got the SS on the advice of a woman at the farm, and so far, the SS is pretty skittish of us. But she and the JO seem to be close already (blessedly, too, as the JO put a quick stop to the BR from being a bit too dominant over the SS).

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I think all are pullets
Salmon faverolle has pullet coloring.
At 9 weeks old id expect a larger comb from the JO and thr SS
Ive never heard of a Sapphire sky but its probably just another name for a sapphire gem which is a olive egger so a mixed breed chickens that specifically lays green(olive eggs)

 

[JedJackson]

The Faverolles is a pullet.

The barred rock is looking like a cockerel to me.

The Orpington is looking like a pullet so far, but these can be slow to mature, so I wouldn't say it is definite yet.

Same story with the Sapphire Sky. So far it is looking like a pullet but things could change.

 

[paintedChix]

What breeds went into the Saphire Sky? I've never heard of this hybrid before.

"SS", to me, means Speckled Sussex - a reddish brown bird w/ white speckles. They are a heritage breed, that I've owned in the past but don't have currently. They are both large fowl & Bantam sizes.

Cute birds! Welcome to the chicken world.

 

[nashvillecitychick]

The Faverolles is a pullet.

The barred rock is looking like a cockerel to me.

The Orpington is looking like a pullet so far, but these can be slow to mature, so I wouldn't say it is definite yet.

Same story with the Sapphire Sky. So far it is looking like a pullet but things could change.

I thought so, too, about the Barred Rock because of the comb (even though coloring as chick and now looks more pullet-like)! Also it is by far my most friendly and most dominant chick! That's why we also tested its DNA when testing our (now rehomed) cockerel. But the dna test cam back girl for the BR (thankfully, and surprisingly). We should have tested them all, but I didn't want to spend the money to do so...

 

[JedJackson]

I thought so, too, about the Barred Rock because of the comb (even though coloring as chick and now looks more pullet-like)! Also it is by far my most friendly and most dominant chick! That's why we also tested its DNA when testing our (no rehomed) cockerel. But the dna test cam back girl for the BR (thankfully, and surprisingly). We should have tested them all, but I didn't want to spend the money to do so...

Good deal! Sometimes pullets can get bigger combs early. But I was also looking at its overall lighter color, which is another sign of a male. But what the lab says goes.

 

[nashvillecitychick]

What breeds went into the Saphire Sky? I've never heard of this hybrid before.

"SS", to me, means Speckled Sussex - a reddish brown bird w/ white speckles. They are a heritage breed, that I've owned in the past but don't have currently. They are both large fowl & Bantam sizes.

Cute birds! Welcome to the chicken world.

Ugh - yes thank you for reminding me that SS is the abbreviation Speckled Sussex - will try to be more clear next time!

I have been trying to figure out what breeds went into the Sapphire Sky and haven't quite been able to figure it out. We got ours from a local hatchery, but it looks like the ones from Townline (https://townlinehatchery.com/product/new-sapphire-sky/), which another thread suggested is the same as Dominant Green Shell 107 (https://www.dominant-cz.cz/en/programs/green-and-blue/detail/139/dominant-greenshell-gs107).

Thanks for the welcome! We're really enjoying the chicken world so far. Well, except for the bit about the one chick that turned out to be a cockerel. But at least that ended happily ultimately - the rescue farm has set it up to be a foster dad for a turkey poult, so alls well that ends well!

 

[paintedChix]

I didnt know you could DNA test a bird for sex. What was the cost for DNA test? Where did you send & what did you have to provide? How long did it take for results? Did you get them online first (portal through email) or did you have to wait for mailed results?

When I bred & raised Shetland ponies, I used to do color testing. LOVED getting the emailed portal results - usually in 48 hours. I used Animal Genetics out of Florida. Had to provide 50 plucked hairs (with root bulb). I tested for Tobiano coloring, bay agouti, black/red, silver and on a few, cream. Once I knew parents' coloring, I didn't always have to do all the testing... It was always exciting to first see the foals & then get color test results back!

 

[nashvillecitychick]

I didnt know you could DNA test a bird for sex. What was the cost for DNA test? Where did you send & what did you have to provide? How long did it take for results? Did you get them online first (portal through email) or did you have to wait for mailed results?

When I bred & raised Shetland ponies, I used to do color testing. LOVED getting the emailed portal results - usually in 48 hours. I used Animal Genetics out of Florida. Had to provide 50 plucked hairs (with root bulb). I tested for Tobiano coloring, bay agouti, black/red, silver and on a few, cream. Once I knew parents' coloring, I didn't always have to do all the testing... It was always exciting to first see the foals & then get color test results back!

We used https://iqbirdtesting.com/. It was 17.99 per chick using feathers (15.99 if you get blood) plus shipping (they offer an $11 fedex 2 day label option if you want). One of our first samples wasn't good enough and they retested for free. Once received, it took 2 hours-1 day for them to email a receipt confirmation. We had results the next day via email. So, it was super fast! And, yes, getting the email with the results was really cool. Attached is what they looked like.

 

[paintedChix]

We used https://iqbirdtesting.com/. It was 17.99 per chick using feathers (15.99 if you get blood) plus shipping (they offer an $11 fedex 2 day label option if you want). One of our e had results the next day via email. So, it was super fast! And, yes, getting the email with the results was really cool. Attached is what they looked like.

I will need to save this website and go check it out. I also want to learn what some of those other tests are.

There is also a test for the blue egg gene in Ameraucana, Araucana & Cream Legbars...