Tailfeathers look like devil horns

[BBB454]

I have two 6 1/2 week old chicks and I thought the black one was a cockerel and the brown one a pullet. Do these "devil tail feathers" indicate the sex?




I haven't noticed them on the other 4 chicks, their middle tail feathers appear to be longer than the outside ones, like this:

 

[Toddrick]

I'm guessing it is likely they are males, although I've never noticed the "devil horns" before (probably "lesser sickles" coming in). The BR looks like a cockerel. Show a picture of the Red's head profile and that will help.

 

[junebuggena]

I think that is more of an indication of a juvenile partial molt, than gender. The barred Rock's comb is a very reliable indicator that it is a cockerel.

 

[BBB454]

Here is Layla's profile (Sparky the EE is behind her).


And here is Ben's profile

 

[junebuggena]

Layla is a pullet. Sparky the Easter Egger has huge red wattles, so probably cockerel with that one. Ben is definitely a cockerel. A few of my 18 week old barred Rocks don't even have combs that big.

 

[Toddrick]

It may be too early to tell on the Red one. It still has the chipmunk feathers, so I'm guessing 4-6 weeks?

 

[BBB454]

It may be too early to tell on the Red one. It still has the chipmunk feathers, so I'm guessing 4-6 weeks?

They're all 6 1/2 weeks old.

 

[BBB454]

Layla is a pullet. Sparky the Easter Egger has huge red wattles, so probably cockerel with that one. Ben is definitely a cockerel. A few of my 18 week old barred Rocks don't even have combs that big.

Ben's comb is starting to fade out - the tips aren't bright red anymore, more like a yellowish orange. Does that mean anything? Here's a close-up.

 

[Toddrick]

Leaning towards pullet on the Red one, Layla, as well. By six weeks it should have some red in the comb, a larger comb, and waddle appearing if it is a male. So the "horns" probably are just from molting, and it was probably just a coincidence that they both looked that way at the same time.

 

[junebuggena]

Ben's comb is really large for a chick that age. A pullet's comb might 'flush' at the base, but Ben's whole comb minus the very tips are red.
Her are some of my barred Rock pullets at 8 weeks old. You can see how the skin around the comb is flushed, but the combs are small and yellow.