Male or Female Dominique

[schatzi011]

I bought 6 chicks that were in the "female" section, but I know this is only 90% accurate or so. Now they are 7.5 weeks old. I heard you can tell their gender by the hackle feathers, but online, the photos were way too similar for me to tell. Two of them do look a bit different than the rest and I'm wondering if those are male.

This one has a normal comb that is like 1/4" wide.

This one has a narrow comb that is just one strip. Does that mean anything?

This one has a lot of red coming in (wattles and comb), way more than the others.

This one is just to show how most of the others look, with very little red. I imagine that this (and the first picture) are hens. I'm suspicious about the one with all that red, and the one with the narrow comb. I really have no idea though.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

The lighter colored ones with the bigger, redder combs are boys

 

[schatzi011]

So that single line comb vs the other 5 with wide combs doesn't mean anything?

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

It probably is just a low quality hatchery Dominique, with a single comb instead of a rose comb

 

[aart]

I heard you can tell their gender by the hackle feathers, but online, the photos were way too similar for me to tell.

Saddle and hackle feathers don't grow in until about 4 months old.

This one has a lot of red coming in (wattles and comb), way more than the others.

The size and color of comb and especially wattles leads me to call cockerel on this one.

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

It probably is just a low quality hatchery Dominique, with a single comb instead of a rose comb

It’s probably a Barred Plymouth Rock.

 

[schatzi011]

So they accidentally mixed in a different breed with the Dominiques? Is this common?

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

It looks like it is a Dominique but just with a single comb