Everytime I hatch chicks, I wind with up a bunch of questions about their colors, genders, breeding, features, genetics, characteristics, etc... And I am really not a "wait and see" kind of gal. As a result, I have a bunch of different threads in this topic about my chicks. Since I have so many of these posts, I thought it might be better to just start my own thread and return to it each time I hatch new chicks and my curiosities get the best of me. This way it's also easier for me to reference, because I often look back over those older posts to double chick the info that was shared.
I hope it's okay to start my own thread here. Moderators please let me know if this would be better off elsewhere.
I presently have 6 mixed breed chicks who are 4 days old. Three of them have similar chipmunk stripes. I know nothing is 100% accurate - that's okay, I enjoy guesses - but I seem to recall a discussion somewhere that the standard chipmunk pattern on chicks can be used to make a guess about gender. I just can't seem to find the thread or website, or maybe I made it up all in my head. It had something to do with how clean the lines were on the stripes vs. the more muddled markings. Or it may have had something to do with the color of the down between the stripes... or maybe it was how clean/distinct the pattern on the head is... Anyway, has anyone had success with guessing gender based on this down feather pattern- even on chicks that have not been bred for this trait?
Here are my 3 chipmunk babies. Two are siblings and one is unrelated. The first chick (bottom of the picture facing right) is called Solstice and has the darkest, cleanest, and most distinct pattern. It doesn't show up well in photos, but the dark brown pattern is perfectly outlined by a clean black border. There is a very feint, small, white dot in the middle of the brown stripe on top of the head. The second chipmunk patterned chick (middle of the group) is Thistle, sibling to Solstice. Markings are similar to Solstice but lighter and Thistle has spots on the face and two stripes on he side of the head (see Christmas pic). The last chipmunk at the top of the photo next to the white chick is Blizzard. Blizzard is not related to the other 2 chipmunks. The lines of Blizzard's stripes are much less defined and distinct compared to the first two. Whereas the other 2 are mostly brown in their darker spots, Blizzard's color is more mixed. Would you like to guess gender or adult colors based on these patterns? I've given the breed mixes below the photo.
I am also curious about that black chick, who also seems to have almost indiscernable chipmunk stripes. It has white on the head, but you can see where the 2 lighter colored bands are on the chick's back. I attached a better photo. I'm more curious about the adult color on this chick than anything else. I've never hatched a chick that looks like this one.
Solstice and Thistle, the chipmunk colored chicks are also siblings to Treacle, the blue chick. Their mom is a solid blue mixed breed hen and dad is most likely a mixed breed rooster who is silver & blue. [Other possible dad is purebred Bielefelder]. The black chick, Corona, the white chick, Tidings, and Blizzard are from my Noir Marans hen and apparently sired by my bielefelder mix rooster who is silver and black with barring. [Other possible dad is black copper marans but it seems the chicks' colors rule this out].
Anyway, if you have an idea about color or gender, I'd love to hear it, and even if you just want to make a guess, I'd like to hear that, too.
Disregard these links, they are for my own reference: other posts I've made about sex/breed/characteristics, etc... 12/24 - Why is This Chick Yellow
9/24 - What Color or Pattern Would You Call This? [Lexington & Pimento]
8/24 - Bielefelder mix Chicks - auto sexing? [barring genes, sex-linked genes, head spots]
5/24 - Barnevelder Colors [silver vs. gold]
4/24 - What color do you think this BYM chick will be? [Kookaburra]
4/24 - Sexing Welsummer Chicks
3/24 - Gender Guess 4 week Barnevelder [Ronnie]
1/24 - Gender confirmation/guess for 1 month old chicks [B2S Clutch]
10/23 - Gender guessing game- 4 & 6 week old chicks
9/23 - Red Chick with Blue Legs ? [shank color]
9/23 - Where did these black combs come from? [E & E^R]
9/23 - Can 2 clean legged birds produce feathered legs? [& leakage]
6/23 - What’s up with this chick’s coloring? [Stevie's comb]
5/23 - What Color Do you Think These EE Chicks will be? [partridge]
5/23 - Are You My Mother? [silver vs. gold]
4/23 - Genetics behind blue & barred colored chickens [Are Chicory & Charcoal gold or silver??]
4/23 - Gender Quiz- 4 weeks old barnyard mix
I hope it's okay to start my own thread here. Moderators please let me know if this would be better off elsewhere.
I presently have 6 mixed breed chicks who are 4 days old. Three of them have similar chipmunk stripes. I know nothing is 100% accurate - that's okay, I enjoy guesses - but I seem to recall a discussion somewhere that the standard chipmunk pattern on chicks can be used to make a guess about gender. I just can't seem to find the thread or website, or maybe I made it up all in my head. It had something to do with how clean the lines were on the stripes vs. the more muddled markings. Or it may have had something to do with the color of the down between the stripes... or maybe it was how clean/distinct the pattern on the head is... Anyway, has anyone had success with guessing gender based on this down feather pattern- even on chicks that have not been bred for this trait?
Here are my 3 chipmunk babies. Two are siblings and one is unrelated. The first chick (bottom of the picture facing right) is called Solstice and has the darkest, cleanest, and most distinct pattern. It doesn't show up well in photos, but the dark brown pattern is perfectly outlined by a clean black border. There is a very feint, small, white dot in the middle of the brown stripe on top of the head. The second chipmunk patterned chick (middle of the group) is Thistle, sibling to Solstice. Markings are similar to Solstice but lighter and Thistle has spots on the face and two stripes on he side of the head (see Christmas pic). The last chipmunk at the top of the photo next to the white chick is Blizzard. Blizzard is not related to the other 2 chipmunks. The lines of Blizzard's stripes are much less defined and distinct compared to the first two. Whereas the other 2 are mostly brown in their darker spots, Blizzard's color is more mixed. Would you like to guess gender or adult colors based on these patterns? I've given the breed mixes below the photo.
I am also curious about that black chick, who also seems to have almost indiscernable chipmunk stripes. It has white on the head, but you can see where the 2 lighter colored bands are on the chick's back. I attached a better photo. I'm more curious about the adult color on this chick than anything else. I've never hatched a chick that looks like this one.
Solstice and Thistle, the chipmunk colored chicks are also siblings to Treacle, the blue chick. Their mom is a solid blue mixed breed hen and dad is most likely a mixed breed rooster who is silver & blue. [Other possible dad is purebred Bielefelder]. The black chick, Corona, the white chick, Tidings, and Blizzard are from my Noir Marans hen and apparently sired by my bielefelder mix rooster who is silver and black with barring. [Other possible dad is black copper marans but it seems the chicks' colors rule this out].
Anyway, if you have an idea about color or gender, I'd love to hear it, and even if you just want to make a guess, I'd like to hear that, too.
Disregard these links, they are for my own reference: other posts I've made about sex/breed/characteristics, etc... 12/24 - Why is This Chick Yellow
9/24 - What Color or Pattern Would You Call This? [Lexington & Pimento]
8/24 - Bielefelder mix Chicks - auto sexing? [barring genes, sex-linked genes, head spots]
5/24 - Barnevelder Colors [silver vs. gold]
4/24 - What color do you think this BYM chick will be? [Kookaburra]
4/24 - Sexing Welsummer Chicks
3/24 - Gender Guess 4 week Barnevelder [Ronnie]
1/24 - Gender confirmation/guess for 1 month old chicks [B2S Clutch]
10/23 - Gender guessing game- 4 & 6 week old chicks
9/23 - Red Chick with Blue Legs ? [shank color]
9/23 - Where did these black combs come from? [E & E^R]
9/23 - Can 2 clean legged birds produce feathered legs? [& leakage]
6/23 - What’s up with this chick’s coloring? [Stevie's comb]
5/23 - What Color Do you Think These EE Chicks will be? [partridge]
5/23 - Are You My Mother? [silver vs. gold]
4/23 - Genetics behind blue & barred colored chickens [Are Chicory & Charcoal gold or silver??]
4/23 - Gender Quiz- 4 weeks old barnyard mix
