Trying to understand delayed feathering

[SLChicks]

This little one is 3 weeks. Is it too early to tell if they are feathering late in roo style? This one has an extra Downy looking neck compared to some of our others.

 

[WOLF FLOW]

I HAVE NO CLUE BUT THIS HAPPENED TO MY CHICK IT JUST TOOK IT A LITTLE LONGER FOR IT TO GET ALL ITS FEATHERS DON'T WORRY ITS FINE!!! MINE WAS A FEMALE.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Is it too early to tell of they are feathering late in roo style?

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

What a cute, ugly little chick.

I did have the slow feathering you are talking about... zero tail feathers and really slow shoulder feathers.. that did accurately predict male gender in SOME chicks. It's been a long time so memory fades but seems like it MIGHT have been Swedish Flowers and lavender Ameraucanas. However, that proved completely irrelevant when raising Speckled Sussex... and a slow feathering one was indeed a pullet. So it can be a predictor.. but depends on breed according to my experience. And I am unsure of which breeds. Also note that only some boys will show it in the breeds that do have it..

Is that an Easter Egger chick? Supposedly 1 row of peas is female and 3 rows is male. It certainly stands confidently!

Feather color as it comes in on certain locations can be great indicators. Watch for bright red shoulder feathers coming in. Are your other chicks the same breed? Were they sold as straight run or hatched at home? Aside from feathering are they the same size -ish? Does this one run around and try to be the boss of everyone?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not sure what you mean by" feathering late in roo style". There are some myths on here about that but you may have something that's valid. Just not sure what you are talking about. If you know something about the parents, like color and pattern of the father and color/pattern of the mother that could help. For example, if the mother was barred and the father was not that is a boy because it's barred.

Most chicks tend to fully feather out at 4 to 5 weeks so that one has a bit to go. It looks like the later stages of what my wife calls the vulture stage. That's when they have some blotchy feathers and some down. Really rough looking. She came up with that when we had a bunch of Black Australorp chicks.

 

[SLChicks]

Hello, thank you for the reply! This is indeed an ee and we have several different "breeds!" They were sold as pullets but from a feed store. The only other ee is the one I suspect to be a roo the most actually lol!!! This one stands on the feeder and blocks others from eating....very bossy and brave. Seems to stand taller than the rest.

 

[SLChicks]

Not sure what you mean by" feathering late in roo style". There are some myths on here about that but you may have something that's valid. Just not sure what you are talking about. If you know something about the parents, like color and pattern of the father and color/pattern of the mother that could help. For example, if the mother was barred and the father was not that is a boy because it's barred.

Most chicks tend to fully feather out at 4 to 5 weeks so that one has a bit to go. It looks like the later stages of what my wife calls the vulture stage. That's when they have some blotchy feathers and some down. Really rough looking. She came up with that when we had a bunch of Black Australorp chicks.

Maybe it's just one of those old wives tails that float around. I keep seeing people say that the boys feather later than girls. The vulture phase is an excellent name!!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

In some breeds like cochins, and Orpingtons the males can feather out more slowly. It doesn't happen in every breed, so it isn't a reliable clue to sex of a chick in most.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some breeds are autosexing, like Cream Legbar. You can tell at hatch which are boys or girls. There are some combinations that you can tell sex by feather color at hatch but you need to know some things about their parents. There are some, like Barred Rock, that you can get some pretty strong clues at hatch, but only if they are pure Barred Rocks. That method requires some experience. There is a method you can tell sex at hatch by the wing feathers that have started coming out but that's only if the parents are set up a certain way genetically. Then there are some that can give you some clues but they are more clues than certainties.

Generally at about five weeks many chicks start to show signs one way or another. If you can take a close-up showing the comb and wattles and a shot showing legs, profile, and posture we might be able to say pretty sure if it is male or female. Or we might say we are not sure. I've had one 5 months old before I was finally sure. It turned out to be a boy but I just wasn't sure. I've had a very few that based on posture and attitude I was sure was a boy right at hatch. To me it is usually easier to say that it is definitely a boy than it is definitely a girl though sometimes the girls can be easy too.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I keep seeing people say that the boys feather later than girls. The vulture phase is an excellent name!!!

I would say it's not a reliable indicator, but I'd call it a possible indicator, if that makes sense. The upright stance is also a possible indicator, same with 3 rows of peas in a pea comb, etc.

If I were to see this chick in a bin marked sexed pullets, I'd probably opt for a different chick that didn't have such an upright stance and had faster feathering.

 

[SLChicks]

I would say it's not a reliable indicator, but I'd call it a possible indicator, if that makes sense. The upright stance is also a possible indicator, same with 3 rows of peas in a pea comb, etc.

If I were to see this chick in a bin marked sexed pullets, I'd probably opt for a different chick that didn't have such an upright stance and had faster feathering.

Thank you, that does make sense. I'm definitely keeping my eye on this one...