What gender are these & why no tail. Australian standard Araucana

[cwrite]

This one has always been my favourite, but I am concerned about the size of her huge legs. They are both 4 weeks old. She is the biggest chick, shy and gentle. She is also the only one that hasn't grown a tail.


This chick was tagged at 2 weeks for being extremely aggressive on their first day out on grass. His comb looks a little pink already, he's displaying a lot of male behaviour and is very adventurous, but hasn't grown as big legs as the top one. His tail is also typical of all my other chicks.

As they are 4 weeks old which may be a bit young, but I'm dying to know what gender they are so I can see how my guessing is going with the other 9. Also, does anyone know what the lack of tail at this age indicates?

 

[ramirezframing]

The first one looks to be getting a little bit of a tail in. Not all chicks get them at the same time. Good luck with them.

 

[cwrite]

Thanks. I've heard that slow growing tail/feathering out can be a sign of being male, but that only applies to breeds that have that particular gene & wasn't sure if these did.
I'm pretty sure they are both boys.

 

[Wyandottes7]

I'm leaning towards male on the first bird, just because of the slow feather growth. It's too young to be sure, however.

 

[BantamLover21]

It is too young to tell gender, though I'm thinking cockerel on the slow feathering bird.

 

[cwrite]

Thanks for the feedback. Back to waiting.....