SL polish

[SheenaMills]

So some of my chicks already have their hat feathers in & some do not. They are all the same age & I am wondering if that has anything to do with their gender.

 

[JedJackson]

They are too young to sex accurately. 8 weeks are so would be a good time to try sexing them, though even then it can be difficult with Polish. Watch for red combs, red faces, and red wattles on the beardless ones in the next few weeks. If they get any of those qualities, probably cockerels.

 

[SheenaMills]

They are too young to sex accurately. 8 weeks are so would be a good time to try sexing them, though even then it can be difficult with Polish. Watch for red combs, red faces, and red wattles on the beardless ones in the next few weeks. If they get any of those qualities, probably cockerels.

So do you think that their hat feathers growing in at a much different rate has nothing to do with gender

 

[JedJackson]

It might, it might not. Chicks develop at different rates and I don't see crest feather development being any more telling than other feather development. I used to raise the buff laced variety of Polish and never noticed much different in crests until much latter, when the pointy male sex feathers come in on the crests, but that happens after they molt their early feathers.

In general, females will feather out more rapidly than males, so it is one thing to look at. But is it enough at that early stage to tell for sure? Not in my opinion. And it does no harm to wait a bit longer and see, unless you have to line up new homes for the males quickly. But even then, most people won't mind a little wait.

 

[SheenaMills]

It might, it might not. Chicks develop at different rates and I don't see crest feather development being any more telling than other feather development. I used to raise the buff laced variety of Polish and never noticed much different in crests until much latter, when the pointy male sex feathers come in on the crests, but that happens after they molt their early feathers.

In general, females will feather out more rapidly than males, so it is one thing to look at. But is it enough at that early stage to tell for sure? Not in my opinion. And it does no harm to wait a bit longer and see, unless you have to line up new homes for the males quickly. But even then, most people won't mind a little wait.

I wanted to keep one or two hens & sell the rest. But I’m worried I’ll accusentally keep two Roos. Looks like I will be waiting lol. Thank you for the insight.

 

[JedJackson]

I wanted to keep one or two hens & sell the rest. But I’m worried I’ll accusentally keep two Roos. Looks like I will be waiting lol. Thank you for the insight.

I think that is smart. Polish can be really difficult to sex until they are older, much older than most breeds except Silkies. Keep an eye out for red in the combs, faces and wattles.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Crests don't have anythingn to do with the gender.

Post pics of their crests, combs,a d saddles at 12 weeks for the gender.