Yes, you can. Cockerels will have much shorter wing feathers than the pullets. The pullets feather in their wing feathers quicker, and earlier than the cockerels. The color of the lower wing feathers will also be different colors. However, this will depend on quality of stock.
I'm in mobile Alabama. My husband is going to try to clean up this weekend (I'll believe it when I see it) and try to build a coop. Took 3 years to build this one. I'm just so tired this week. I know I'm under attack but despite how tired I am or may become I refuse to give up.
E HAL - I candled on the 10th day. I suspect some eggs have dropped off, but I'm leaving everything in now until day 18 when I can tell for certain. I've had some in the past that look like everything has atrophied...but it looks cloudy because of all the development of the tiny veins and those eggs actually hatched...lol. I don't trust myself enough to cull eggs after day 7 or so with colored eggs. I'm getting olive eggs now and I can't see a darn thing with those.
I guess they'll be surprises. And here I thought blue eggs were bad!
Previous hatch - Both the Red Jungle Fowl chick and the olive egger chick are doing well.
I was really thinking the little black olive egger wasn't going to make it but he surprised me, which is good, because they have each other at least.
This hatch was NOT a good hatch at all as far as numbers; 54 eggs and only 2 chicks out of it. But on a positive note...it's a VERY good hatch as far as getting two very tough chicks!
I've been thinking a lot about this hatch. I do realize that my purchased eggs did not start incubation as soon as I hoped and that my eggs were old, but the purchased eggs were still set by 10 days and I'm selecting specifically for tough, viable embryos and I'm always setting old eggs. So that's nothing new...lol.
The only things I did do differently from the previous hatches from startup in December was to:
1) disinfect the incubator because of all the trash the previous hatch threw onto and in the bator
2) add different water wells under the floor of the incubator to add water through a tube with a syringe.
(Well, I also "finally" attached the thermometer to the side of the incubator...but that point is negligible other than giving more room in the bator. Temps were normal and precise as usual...lol)
I pulled the top off to let the incubator air out. It snowed here and it's been too cold to wash the styro-bator outside. I pulled the inside apart and on closer inspection the white inner dish in the bottom tray is sitting with murky looking water. The water in the McCain's cake pan appears clear, surprisingly, but the white dish is disgusting. The white dish is a microwavable dish that had frozen food in it but was washed. I used it because it was the only thing that fit in there when I was setting everything up but it appears that it was NOT the wisest thing to use I guess.
The embryos were developing nicely until day 6-8 when they started dropping off.
Setup before the last hatch. After hatch
I may try an new ice cube tray if I try another tray underneath. It'll give more precise control over the humidity with the small compartments. OR I may just go back to using pudding cups.
<<<< Jan 16th hatch
The pudding cups work well and even with all the trash and feathers that got thrown on and into the incubator prior to the Feb 15th hatch from the chicks I had beside the bator, I still had a successful hatch. (I wish I would've taken pictures of the mess...lol)
Feb 15th chicks Feb 15th chicks on March 14th
Now >>
Time will tell if the water wells were the problem. I have older eggs right now in the sterilite-incubator. If they hatch successfully, it'll be a good indicator.
@Wickedchicken6 can I see the fan you are using? It may be too large for the area your incubating in. Also I LOVE the idea of the pudding cups like that!!! Do you have more pic of the install of them and what are the holders you have the cups in? Would love to add to the helpful links for humidity. Such adorable chickies!!
Crazy chicken killed seven 18 day old chicks by freaking out and leaving the nest. (Trading her to someone else tomorrow) Little Nancy was the strong one of the group. So cute. Can you feather-sex salmon faverolles? look at that fuzzy-butt
Bad news is the eggs due to hatch today may be a bust. I have been out of town and a friend has been watching my pets. Told her the hatcher needed to stay at at least 60% humidity and she needed to add water if it dropped. It was at 10% today when I came home. Pumped humidity up quickly but it's already past day 21 and no pips. Cracked open all to save any still alive. Might still have a few if they make it until morning. Must've tossed 10 dead chicks that were shrink-wrapped or died 2 days ago and no yolk absorbed.
So far may have 2 blood rings and maybe 2 or 3 clears in my HAL eggs. Will recheck in 2 days
Salmons are dimorphous ie the male is a totally different color than the female.
You should be able to tell at around 4 weeks,The males will develop dark wings.
A pair of 2 week old Salmon Faverolles chicks: a comparison of the different colors on the wings of the two genders (black on the cockerel, above, and salmon brown on the pullet), which allows for simple gender determination at such a young age.
Photos courtesy of Kris Kraeuter, Brushyrun Heritage Poultry
Last night I candled my eggs on day 14, and the 10 under mama are all doing perfect and I can see movement in all of them! And as for the 7 in my incubator, the 6 shipped ones have bad saddle air sack, but other than that, I can see veins and movement in all of them! Oh, and my one other egg in there is doing just fine!
But.......
This morning I woke up to the smell of a skunk! So now I have to go find the source.
