Wing/ Comb Development - Black Jersey Giants

[Acre4Me]

Here they are at 3 weeks - I didn't get around to posting on Wed, but the pics were taken at 3 weeks old (a few days ago).

Still thinking we have 1 boy, 1 girl. If so, then their names are going to be "Jupiter" (male) and "Juno" (female). These are Roman gods and Jupiter is synonymous to Zeus in Greek mythology. Juno is Jupiter's sister (and wife) in Roman mythology and Juno means "Queen of the gods". We wanted "BIG" names for the BJGs!

 

[Acre4Me]

Here they are at 4 weeks of age. There are some changes, but still unsure of sex of each bird! We have named them with the assumption that one is male and one is female due to differences in wing and comb development. Names are going to be Jupiter and Juno. We wanted to have "big" names so Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar system, and is also the Roman god that is the same as Zeus (in Greek mythology). Juno is Jupiter's sister (and wife) in Roman mythology and is known as the "Queen of the gods".

The chicks are definitely developing a larger/bonier frame as compared to our other 5 breeds. BJGs are known to grow their frame then they fill it out. They also have the biggest/thickest legs of all the birds so far - even bigger than the Black Australorp male chick that we know is a male.

Of note: the tail feathers have been coming in quite differently as well. They were both the slowest to develop tail feathers of all 17 chicks (6 breeds). Now there is a marked difference between the two BJG in tail feather development as you can see here. BJG 1 is on the left (darker head) and BJG 2 is on the right (more white around eye).

Here is the link to my most recent update on all 6 breeds development at 4 weeks:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ek-update-growing-fast.1231022/#post-19759355

 

[tigger19687]

Ohh so cute ! But those wings look so weird.
Not sure about this, but do they say the tail grows faster in females?

 

[Acre4Me]

Ohh so cute ! But those wings look so weird.
Not sure about this, but do they say the tail grows faster in females?

It has definitely been interesting that their wing feathers and tail feathers have grown so differently. This is why we think we have a male and a female. However, which is which? Might still have to wait a few weeks to see comb and wattle development.

 

[tigger19687]

I am still holding firm on my guess from before. time will tell

 

[randiferina]

What has been the verdict?! Or is t still hard to tell! We just had a broody hatch out 2 blue Jersey giants last week! They seem to be growing at the same rate.. Hoping for females of course

 

[Acre4Me]

What has been the verdict?! Or is t still hard to tell! We just had a broody hatch out 2 blue Jersey giants last week! They seem to be growing at the same rate.. Hoping for females of course

They are 9 weeks. One boy, one girl. The one on right of most recent photo above has almost no tail in the pic - he’s the boy. His tail is slow to come in, even now. The girl is larger than the boy is right now too. I did read somewhere that it takes about 8 months for the boys to grow their full frame, then they fill out. Both have good personalities at this point, hoping this continues! Good luck for your chicks!!

 

[tigger19687]

Ahh so was i correct in my guess? #2 male

 

[jm1231]

Help! I live in the city and cannot have roosters only Hens. I’m so nervous my giant is a boy. His feathers are the length of its body, and it seems to be aggressive w my baby duck who may also be a boy lol. I tried to sex the duck. No male parts came out, but I’m also new to sexing ducks lol. If it’s a roo I’ll have to give him up and ween is so sweet! I’ve raised chickens for awhile and NEVER had a baby just run to the door excited to see me like this one ugggg what do I do did we ever get an answer if it was chic 1 or 2 that was the male?

 

[Acre4Me]

Help! I live in the city and cannot have roosters only Hens. I’m so nervous my giant is a boy. His feathers are the length of its body, and it seems to be aggressive w my baby duck who may also be a boy lol. I tried to sex the duck. No male parts came out, but I’m also new to sexing ducks lol. If it’s a roo I’ll have to give him up and ween is so sweet! I’ve raised chickens for awhile and NEVER had a baby just run to the door excited to see me like this one ugggg what do I do did we ever get an answer if it was chic 1 or 2 that was the male?

First, we need more info. How old is the chick in question? Can you post pics? The best pics are in regular light. Please have the chick standing and take a few pics, one being from the side. Seeing the posture and overall body shape helps. For a BJG it will be helpful to see the tail, as male tails can be different from females at a young age. Having a pic of the comb and wattles clearly shown will also help.