Welsummer head coloring and sexing.

[Andora]

How accurate is using the dark coloring on a Welsummer chick's head to tell male from female? I read this http://rudugastsideal.com/fowl/livestock_chickens.htm and at the bottom it gives an example of male and female based on the definition of the dark area on top the head. Here are my chicks a few weeks ago:

All but the one hiding have a defined dark area on the head like the female from the link's example picture.

BUT now at four weeks old the three with the defined dark coloring have huge huge combs and are getting wattles. The one with the light coloring is smaller, timid, and has barely any comb and no wattles. I don't know what to think...

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I don't really know, but I can give you pictures of my pullets through the last 5 months. They are 23 weeks old on Monday.

As a baby-

Maybe 5 weeks old? I didn't write down dates on these.

Step Three-

Step Four-

Step Five (taken a few days ago)

Both of mine are definitely pullets. Don't know if this helps or not. Do you have more pictures you could post? That might help someone more knowledgeable than I.

 

[EweSheep]

I've raised Welsummer chicks and I can tell you its not that reliable. I've kept all the defined marks of pullets and ended up half and half males and females. And the faded marks ended up as two pullets and one cockeral.

So all you can do is to wait for them to grow up a bit and judge on the comb sizes along with the color of breasts.

 

[Andora]

Thanks for the pictures! Mine have larger combs than yours did.

Here is the one with the smallest comb, they are about four weeks old now.

One of them has a comb so big that the top of it flops to the side! It looks so silly.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Awwww, but look how cute!

Mine had comb like things early on. They just didn't run red and get definitive wattles until just recently.

I'm guessing the floppy comb one is definitely a boy. Who knows on the others.