Updated Pics on 11 week old chicks :)

[WhatsUpDuck]

I'd like to get another round of votes if these two are cockerels or pullets? Originally we thought the lighter one was a pullet, and the darker one was a roo, BUT now I think it's the opposite

 

[WingItRanch]

Hmmm. 11 weeks? I'm leaning 2 cockerels...

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

That's what I'm afraid of. We may have to make a bachelor pad in the near future These were hatched from our eggs from our first flock that we lost so they are special to us.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

As far as personality goes the darker of the two is very submissive and more flighty/afraid. The lighter one is bitey and more outgoing of the two. I saw them flaring their neck feathers at each other and bowing to show off...do hens do that? I will say the darker one reminds me of a hen we had that we lost to sour crop waddles...we really thought that she was a rooster until the rooster told us she wasn't lol and she never crowed or anything. Here is a picture of the one we are pretty sure is theirs!

 

[WingItRanch]

As far as personality goes the darker of the two is very submissive and more flighty/afraid. The lighter one is bitey and more outgoing of the two. I saw them flaring their neck feathers at each other and bowing to show off...do hens do that? I will say the darker one reminds me of a hen we had that we lost to sour crop waddles...we really thought that she was a rooster until the rooster told us she wasn't lol and she never crowed or anything. Here is a picture of the one we are pretty sure is theirs!

Hens will also flare their hackles and spar.

This new picture.. I don't understand. Is this another one you think is a cockerel? Or is that a pic of one of the 2 in question? This new pic is definitely a cockerel. He's got a patch of red popping up on his wings which is male specific.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Yeah, unfortunately I also think both are boys. The lighter one for sure, he's lighter because he's double barred (two copies of the gene for barring, one from each parent) which is  only possible in males.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

Hens will also flare their hackles and spar.

This new picture.. I don't understand. Is this another one you think is a cockerel? Or is that a pic of one of the 2 in question? This new pic is definitely a cockerel. He's got a patch of red popping up on his wings which is male specific.

That is the Dad of the two chicks he is gone now

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

Yeah, unfortunately I also think both are boys. The lighter one for sure, he's lighter because he's double barred (two copies of the gene for barring, one from each parent) which is  only possible in males.

Does that matter if the mama was all black? Sorry I'm terrible with breeds.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Barring is dominant over black (and pretty much all other colors except dominant white). If a male has two copies of barring, then every single one of his chicks will be barred. If a male has only one copy, as yours appears to, then his chicks, both male and female, have a 50% chance of being barred.

The mama of the darker chick very well could have been black. But if the lighter chick is double barred, then his mama would have had to been barred, there's no other way to inherit two copies of the barring gene.

 

[WhatsUpDuck]

That is really interesting! I wonder if this was the mama?