Satins, best shot at sex?

[xiggystardust]

We are about to buy two few-month-old birds - these are the pictures we have. Looking for pullets but I know these silkie types can be tricky, and you all were great at realizing the last two were cockerels!!

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think*** one is a female color pattern, but the other (red chest) definitely isn't a sexed pattern. Rheyre too young to really tell other than thar

 

[xiggystardust]

I think*** one is a female color pattern, but the other (red chest) definitely isn't a sexed pattern. Rheyre too young to really tell other than thar

Thanks, this helps. I was a little concerned about what looked like pointy feathers beginning to appear on the neck of the red chested one; is that not a certainty toward man-bird ?!?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thanks, this helps. I was a little concerned about what looked like pointy feathers beginning to appear on the neck of the red chested one; is that not a certainty toward man-bird ?!?

I don't really look at neck feathers for my cockerels. I only look at the saddles, so I'm not sure.


@NatJ

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

They both have female patterns.

 

[NatJ]

I don't really look at neck feathers for my cockerels. I only look at the saddles, so I'm not sure.


@NatJ

I ignore neck feathers too, and I think those birds look too young to be showing pointy saddle feathers. Not being sure of the age does make it harder, but I think I am still seeing some chick down on the heads, which would mean they have not completely finished getting their first set of feathers. Male-specific feathers come in sometime after that.

Both color patterns "look" female to me, but a few months back I got forcibly reminded that some cockerels can look similar when young and then molt out to a different pattern by the time they are older. So I'm not trusting any "female" coloring I see on mixed breed chicks, at least until I can get a better sense of when it's right and when it's not. If they were fully grown adults, those colorings would definitely both be females.

The combs look small, but that comb type would be relatively small even on males of this age. The combs are not bright pink or red (sign of being male) or pale (sign of being female) because they are black.

It is often easier to be sure when there are some males and some females in a given batch. Having just one or the other means there is nothing to compare with. If there was a brother with a big obvious comb and some male saddle feathers, I would be sure these were female.

I would say they are maybe-female, but I would not be positive yet.