🙋‍♀️ Sexing questions on three juveniles

[ladybrasa]

When can I expect to see the saddle feathers on the Orp, since they seem to mature slower? Just want to be 100% before I schedule for processing.

And the silkie … I would say 12 weeks max. Pretty sure I got them 1-2 weeks after hatching some Sulmtaler, etc which was the first week of May. The silkie had been at TSC probably a week or so already, if I recall. I made sure to pick the biggest one in the bin, and it has stayed roughly the same size (different shape!) as the same age laying breeds. Wondering if this one came from Hoover stock used to make the Mystic Onyx? Those were initially developed as meat birds, according to the website. I don’t really know much about Silkies.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

The Barnevelder is a pullet and the Orpington a cockerel. The Silkie is a pullet so far. I believe when the Silver Double Laced Barnevelders were originally imported years back, it was only in the bantam variety and the large fowl variety a good few years later. Often times I felt like it was very unclear in listings that they weren't large fowl! This may have lead to confusion from your breeder. My English Orpington cockerel started getting sex specific feathering at about 11 weeks but developed full on saddles later on