Welsummer hen or rooster? Help!!

[Mb4rx]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the sex of this 7 week old welsummer?
First thoughts based on his/her marking as a chick was female and the partridge feathers make me think female but these black chest feathers are making me think rooster?? Maybe still to young to tell? Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the sex of this 7 week old welsummer?
First thoughts based on his/her marking as a chick was female and the partridge feathers make me think female but these black chest feathers are making me think rooster?? Maybe still to young to tell? Any thoughts appreciated.

That is definitely a roo... only the roos have black chests... even though Welsummers are an autosexing breed, some lines are hard to tell which is which as chicks...

 

[Mb4rx]

I thought that might be the case I'd seen some photos online of welsummer hens that had an almost black/gold laced chest & hoped mine was just turning out like them. Maybe not. Well I just hope he takes a long time to start crowing. He has a beautiful nature & I don't want to give him up, not yet anyway. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Welsummer hens should have a very light, bright colored chest, so maybe some pics were of crosses? Not sure...
I have a trio, roo and 2 hens, and I don't think either girl has a single black feather.
Sorry, hope he waits on the crowing. Glad yours is sweet, mine aren't really, lol. Roo was the bully of the brooder. Prefer my Sulmtalers better.
Good luck!

 

[rebrascora]

I'm afraid a comb that red at 7 weeks is not going to be a pullet and the black breast just confirms it. My welsummer pullets were nearly 30 weeks before their comb reddened up like that and they started laying. My roos on the other hand had big bright combs from a young age like yours.
You are lucky that your chick is friendly though. My welsummers are very shy and the roos scream and scream and SCREAM!!! when you get hold of them. Total wusses Oddly, the welsummers were the only ones in my flock that were incubator and brooder reared. The vast majority of my broody hen reared chicks are very friendly as adults even though I didn't handle them much and my broody hens are quite shy.

Anyway, good luck finding your little man a new home. It might be wise to start looking sooner rather than later.

PS. If the chick in the background of the first picture is an exchequer leghorn of the same age, it is unfortunately also a cockerel. The male combs develop very noticeably on leghorns around 5 weeks Sorry to be the bearer of bad news

 

[Mb4rx]

Thanks for all the advice, fingers crossed he stays quiet a while longer. Still only peeping, not even chirping yet & loves a cuddle. Hope he stays sweet. What age do they usually start getting vocal?
The breeder i got him from does take roosters back so he has a second home....if needed

 

[rebrascora]

As with laying, it varies significantly between individual birds and their environment. But he could start as young as he is now or wait until he is 20 weeks and anywhere in between of course.... if you have a dominant rooster, juvenile birds sometimes wait even longer to voice a challenge. I would say you probably have a few weeks to enjoy him yet though. Typically 12-16 weeks is when they will start. I have to be honest, I can't remember with my welsummers. I have so many cockerels at the moment, I lose track of whose voice is whose and so far it has been pretty obvious which are roos long before they crow, so I haven't needed to pay attention to when they get their voice. My exchequer leghorns were particularly easy to sex at that age. It almost seemed like one day they were androgenous (I have 8 and I was struggling to tell them apart) and the next it was clear which were cockerels and therefore the others had to be pullets, but it was 10 or more weeks later before they crowed.

So pleased you are able to return him/them to the breeder. That must be a big relief.

 

[Mb4rx]

Wow, very interesting. Thanks for all that! Of my other 3 chicks I suspect I have 2 roosters, so that totals 3 of 4. Unlucky odds. The Araucana is way off sexing age but the exchequer leghorn I'm pretty sure is a rooster. 7 weeks old. Photo not great.

And the GL Wyandotte I'm pretty sure is a roo too!

At least they can go back...sadly

 

[rebrascora]

Gosh, that really is a bad percentage! Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that the leghorn is a roo. That much of a red comb was a giveaway in that first photo of the welsummer, even though you could only see part of the leghorn. I have no experience of wyandottes but again a red comb at that age shouts male. Hope your Araucana doesn't make it a full house! They can be difficult to sex as you are aware. Have you got a photo of it? I have an araucana cross hen whom I absolutely love. She is scruffy and quirky but she is an absolute star. Lays pretty well every day regardless of the time of year and then goes broody is a brilliant mother for 6 weeks of so and then starts laying again. She hatched 23.chicks last year for me in two clutches. Her female offspring are wily like her and also laid right through the winter although I had to work hard to find their secret nests in order to gather their eggs.....

I have to say that I'm really not fond of my young exchequer leghorns. They are horrible bullies and in a large mixed flock that free ranges every day, it's not acceptable. I see them look for who they can pick on..... today it was their bantam cochin/silkie broody mother and they set on her the minute she came off the nest to have a refreshment and comfort break. I know they are just trying to improve their status in the flock and they are pretty much bottom at the moment apart from her, because they are the youngest, but I'm not having that sort of behaviour. They will be heading off to auction if they continue to behave like that. Their biological mothers were a bit uppity and prepared to scrap for top dog status, but I'm not having them picking on the weak and vulnerable, especially their little foster mother... ungrateful little oiks!. I can see me having to set up a detention centre for juvenile delinquent leghorns..... anyway, just thought I'd mention it in case you had the choice to exchange your roo for a more friendly breed. Leghorns are noted for having attitude. I confess the exchequers look really pretty but if you can't like/love them, then you lose sight of their attraction after a while. Looks are all very well but personality wins in the long run!.

 

[Ravynscroft]

Wow, very interesting. Thanks for all that! Of my other 3 chicks I suspect I have 2 roosters, so that totals 3 of 4. Unlucky odds. The Araucana is way off sexing age but the exchequer leghorn I'm pretty sure is a rooster. 7 weeks old. Photo not great.

And the GL Wyandotte I'm pretty sure is a roo too!

At least they can go back...sadly

Yup, sorry... both roos too... if you can, go ahead and post a pic of your Araucauna too... I have those too along with Ameraucanas and EE's and can look... I have been getting better at guessing sexes so I can give it a shot if you'd like...