Silver laced polish hen or roo??

[MamaBear228]

I took in this 3 month old polish today and hoping it's a hen! Any idea?

 

[cherrynberry]

I took in this 3 month old polish today and hoping it's a hen! Any idea?

Pictures of the close up comb?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I took in this 3 month old polish today and hoping it's a hen! Any idea?

Looks like a pullet to me.

 

[TxChickieFan]

Looks like a pullet to me.

I agree.

 

[JedJackson]

Looks like a cockerel to me. Or at least the should patches and thick legs are suspicious. Check its comb to see if it is small and pale, or a little bigger and pink/red. That will be the best guide for now.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Looks like a cockerel to me. Or at least the should patches and thick legs are suspicious. Check its comb to see if it is small and pale, or a little bigger and pink/red. That will be the best guide for now.

That's what I'm wondering as well. I've heard that the silver wing bars are a cockerel trait at least in Wyandottes too. Can't speak for Polish but I'd assume it'd mean the same? Silver/Gold Laced Polish are always the mort tricky for me to sex though since they're more frequently bearded than WCB and also tend to have more erratic crests in both genders it seems. Sort of rambling, but I'm thinking cockerel for now

 

[JedJackson]

That's what I'm wondering as well. I've heard that the silver wing bars are a cockerel trait at least in Wyandottes too. Can't speak for Polish but I'd assume it'd mean the same? Silver/Gold Laced Polish are always the mort tricky for me to sex though since they're more frequently bearded than WCB and also tend to have more erratic crests in both genders it seems. Sort of rambling, but I'm thinking cockerel for now

The lacing in Wyandottes and Polish is different. Wyandotte males have the shoulder patches, their saddle and hackle feathers have white lacing on black centers, and their tails are solid black. With Polish, every feather should be laced. But those patches still appear sometimes, especially in hatchery birds. It's not a definite thing, because females get them sometimes, too. But that and the thick legs make me question whether it is a definite pullet, in the absence of male specific feathering.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

The lacing in Wyandottes and Polish is different. Wyandotte males have the shoulder patches, their saddle and hackle feathers have white lacing on black centers, and their tails are solid black. With Polish, every feather should be laced. But those patches still appear sometimes, especially in hatchery birds. It's not a definite thing, because females get them sometimes, too. But that and the thick legs make me question whether it is a definite pullet, in the absence of male specific feathering.

Oh thank you!! That's very helpful!! I have always noticed on genetics calculators that there's a separate "Sebright" lacing. Is that what the Polish have then? How genetically distinct is it? That actually makes a lot of sense. When I was struggling with sexing Buff Laced Brahmas I noticed huge differences between the coloration of the same Polish variety which was confusing to me and I never put it together (which I definitely should have!) They definitely had more similarities with the UK White Laced Red Wyandottes in terms of sexing. Now I have a new topic to start to research!

 

[JedJackson]

Yes, Sebrights and Polish should have the same type of lacing. In fact, Polish were used to create Sebrights.

But often with hatchery birds male Polish aren't up to snuff. You see solid gold or silver hackles and saddles sometimes, and the shoulder patches.

Buff laced is its own thing. I've noticed in buff laced Wyandottes that there are a lot of white feathers with no lacing at all, and then areas with good white lacing around buff feathers. So just like the silver and gold laced are genetically different in Wyandottes versus Polish, I'm sure the same it true with buff laced.

Genetics are interesting. I know little, but would like to wade into it some day. But the Standard makes clear the differences for those like me who don't know too much about genetics.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Yes, Sebrights and Polish should have the same type of lacing. In fact, Polish were used to create Sebrights.

But often with hatchery birds male Polish aren't up to snuff. You see solid gold or silver hackles and saddles sometimes, and the shoulder patches.

Buff laced is its own thing. I've noticed in buff laced Wyandottes that there are a lot of white feathers with no lacing at all, and then areas with good white lacing around buff feathers. So just like the silver and gold laced are genetically different in Wyandottes versus Polish, I'm sure the same it true with buff laced.

Genetics are interesting. I know little, but would like to wade into it some day. But the Standard makes clear the differences for those like me who don't know too much about genetics.

Oh interesting! It's crazy to me how complicated it all is. I definitely should have made the Polish/Sebright connection earlier, definitely lack of observation on my part. I was going down a similar rabbit hole the other day with rose comb variations. I personally feel like there is quite the difference of rose combs in Wyandottes/RC RIRs versus Rosecomb Bantams, Sebrights, Hamburgs etc. I was trying to see if I could find any more info on why there is this difference but I just kept getting hit with the wall of "there's a lot of genetic variation within the comb" and the high "phenotypic plasticity." There's just so much to learn!!