SLW chicks... updated at 15 days...

[macmama]

on my 5 two-day-old SLW chicks, 3 have MUCH longer wing feathers than the other two. I read that feather-sexing is only accurate on certain crosses... so is it just coincidence that there is such a difference in my chicks? I'd love to think it means the 3 are pullets... but 2 of them are also the biggest, most active chicks in the bunch which would make me think roo. So do the long pinfeathers mean anything at all?

It was hard to hold 2 wiggle chicks and a camera at the same time, so the pic isn't that great, but here's what I'm talking about... the one on the right I would guess pullet if feather-sexing applied.

 

[macmama]

Did I ask a really stupid question? Sorry, I'm new to chick-owning, and I wasn't sure if early feather length had anything to do with gender on SLWs.

 

[klf73]

I don't know how many can feather sex which is why you probably haven't gotten a response yet....
not a stupid question but probably no one able to answer it

I don't even try to guess gender that young

hopefully someone can help you

 

[Megs]

i have read somewhere (now cant remeber where, probably on this site) that for wyandottes you can feather sex them by wings, but im not sure if its true. sorry.

 

[macmama]

OKay, here they are at 6 days old. These are the same 2 pictured in the first post. Now 3 have the long feathers and the beginnings of tail-feathers, and 2 have very short wing-feathers and no tail-feathers. I'll keep updating... we'll see if you really CAN feather-sex SLWs.

This is the one that looked girly at hatching...

And this was the one that looked rooish...

 

[Country_Gal@Heart]

I am new to owning chickens, but I have a SLW that is now almost 6 weeks. Is the comb on that first pic really that red? If it is that red at 6 days, I would guess your first one is a roo. (Not that I really know much of anything at this point) I'm still learning. But, my SLW doesn't even have that much of a comb at 6 weeks and I am almost positive she is a pullet.

 

[macmama]

It does look pretty orangey... There isn't really any "comb" there-- but the space is darker than my other chicks. If it really is the beginning of a red comb, then the SLW feather-sexing can be effectively tossed out the window, because that chick had and has the longest wing and tail feathers of all 5. It does act rooish though... it's the biggest, the bossiest, and was even the first-hatched. I guess time will tell...

 

[macmama]

The breeder that sold me the SLW eggs said it's pretty easy to tell the males and females apart. Boys get orangey combs early, and the girls' get dark early. According to that I have 1 definite roo (the first one to feather out his wings and tail

) , one definite pullet, and 3 ???s. Wanna take a guess? I'll update once a week and we can see what happens. So far I can say that feather-sexing (and also "pullets feathering out faster") on SLWs is NOT accurate.

10 days old:
Fil A: (Feather-sexed as roo... but ?)

Noodle (Feather-sexed as roo... but?)

Scarlet (Feather-sexed as pullet, and I still think so)

Ivy (feather-sexed as pullet...HA!

) We'll have to find a new name.

Nugget (feather-sexed as roo...but?)

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

From what I have heard, feather sexing is only possible on hybrids. But, it looks to me that Ivy is your only roo at the moment. It is still very early to tell. Wait a few weeks to be sure.

 

[irenew]

Hi
I had SLW and they were real easy to sex as babies.The roos comb bit is pink tinged right from the beginning. As it grows sometimes it fades a bit but those ones which started off pink were all roos. The girls were dark

So looking at your babes the last one is a definite girl, the second to last a definit lad

Scarlet looks like a girl too

The top two may be roos two not sure