Sexing Bourbon Reds?

[maureen9962]

Anyone have any tips on sexing. My poults are 6 weeks old. Last year they fooled me until they were 8 months old. The hens were strutting.

 

[jamesrm]

The one that mounts is the Tom, the one that bends over is the hen...

Normally I go by size and waddle development

 

[OmaBird]

For me at 6 weeks it is just a educated guess. The Toms usually have a square head when viewed from above. The Hens heads are longer and pointed at the front. Size is sometimes a clue but if you seen the photos of my newest hatch, size is not a clue. I have been fooled even at 5 months at times.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

On Bourbon reds and Bronze you can tell 100% by the edging on the feathers. the males have black edging the females will have white.

Steve

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Quote:
Steve???
At what age is this true?

David

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

once they loose the fuzz and and get their feathers

Steve

 

[OmaBird]

Quote:
Unfortunatly if the birds carry a dulution gene you will not see that black line.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Quote:
Unfortunatly if the birds carry a dulution gene you will not see that black line.

What color dilution gene would that be?

Steve

 

[Plain_View_Farm]

Thanks Steve, if that's the case all 6 of my last hatch are hens... Whooo Hoooo!!!!

david

 

[OmaBird]

Quote:
Unfortunatly if the birds carry a dulution gene you will not see that black line.

What color dilution gene would that be?

Steve

I don't know where my post keep going but they are lost. This is my third try.

I am talking about b+b+Ddrr. But I have also heard some breeders are using a single e gene to also remove the black line.

So many birds people get poults that have the pheno type for bourbon red with hidden genes.