Welsummer chick gender

[Michael OShay]

That is what I thought. So that means that the down colour was not an indication of sex in my case. They were exactly like the OPs chicks, one with a very well defined V on its head, continuing down its back and with well defined eyeliner - now a cockerel.

Due to imperfect genetics, there can always be an exception which is why even experienced chicken owners will be uncertain on the rare bird up until the point where it either crows or lays an egg (and even the crowing is not absolute). )

 

[lanaschix]

Bummer yours are both cockerels. I'm hoping at least one of my chickies is female

 

[graphicali]

I hope so too! The really annoying thing for me is that they were from eggs that I had bought as Marans. The seller had the pens of both breeds near to each other and sent me the wrong ones - and now they turn out to be cockerels - reverse lottery win...

 

[microchick]

I had the same problem with the four Welsummer chicks we included in our brood this past spring. They were supposed to be pullets. All four had the proper eyeliner and stripes but as they aged and matured, the eyeliner and stripes began to fade on two of them. Then they feathered out and two feathered with black breast feathers. That was the key. Those breast feathers don't lie. Black=rooster brown=hen.

Look on the bright side. Your boys will grow into the most beautiful roosters you've ever seen. We were looking at ours last evening just before sunset when the last light was hitting them and I swear they glowed, their colors coming out and shining oranges, reds, greens and blues. Truly beautiful birds, and while I wasn't too thrilled with having two more roosters than I'd planned on, I'm very glad that Jessie and Bo turned out to be boys.

 

[lanaschix]

Microchick- at what age did you see the breast feathers?

 

[microchick]

Microchick- at what age did you see the breast feathers?

Ianaschix, they were 3-4 weeks old when the breast feathers were filled in enough to really tell. Here they are at 4 weeks and you can see the breast feathers on the foremost chick(laying behind the little Buff O cockerel) are very black while the pullet in the background standing on the left has brown breast feathers coming in.
You can also note that the eyeliner on the little boy has faded considerably while the pullet's is still clearly visible. The breeder and I both looked for chicks with clear liner and chose 4 for me with obvious pullet markings but that wasn't the true indicator. Those black breast feathers do not lie. Sure enough, they are roosters.

Our chicks really broke every rule when it came to feather sexing. Note the little Buff O cockerel in the front. He was supposed to be a pullet. He feathered out with the hens, incuding his tail feathers which everyone says feather in slowly on Buff cockerels but those wattles and comb do not lie. He is a beautiful boy, sweet natured and good to the hens at 24+weeks.

The old addage of 'you don't know till they crow' is all too true.