So What Comes First?

[cogorman]

I'm resigned to the fact that I'm going to have to keep all 17 of my chicks longer than I'd like to (I can only have six hens according to the city ordinance where I live). I've read many comments here that you can't really tell on most breeds the gents from ladies until they lay eggs or crow. Being a fly tier I can recognize rooster hackle feathers, so my question is what comes first, cock-a-doodle-do or cockerel feathers? And at about what age will either of these telling signs occur?

We are crowded here in my little house. My smooth fox terrier is drooling at my chicks and my field trained black lab is saying, "You go over to the couch and I'll bring them to you a mouthful at a time!" Ha! Really the've just been mostly curious about the little peepers. No aggression at all.

Letmeknowplease

 

[Bandit]

I got all "females" from Ideal. I'm sure one of them is a rooster and there is one more that I have my suspicions about. The reason I'm sure the one is a rooster is that he (at 6 weeks) has a strangled little crow that sounds so funny.

 

[CantSkipThis]

Quote:
Im sorry this has nothing to do with your post but I cant for the life of me figure out how to start a new post. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Tala]

With most breeds you can differentiate by their combs waaaaay before they crow. Excluding the 2-day olds that just came in sexed as pullets, my straight run chicks range from 5ish weeks to 8ish weeks, and I know all the boys and girls apart now.

 

[Bandit]

You go the the Index and then to the topics and there is a place you can click to enter a new thread.

 

[cogorman]

Tried that and I still can't tell them apart at two weeks. Just kidding, I know you were helping out the new eggs trying to post.