Black Australorp 5 weeks

[Mamatomany123]

Long before the comb and wattle there's the tail -- or rather the lack thereof. At about 1 week old and definitely by 2 weeks, you see the girls' tails starting to shape (clamshell feather design) but the boys take a much longer time to put small feathers (not in clam shell design) over their "stump." This is because their tails will be completely different with long feathers that don't start coming out until puberty. A second tell-tale sign available immediately -- at even under one week old -- is similar: Almost NO voice. Pick up a girl and she will squeak very loudly. Pick up a boy and he will TRY to squeak, but it will be mostly pushed air. This is because boys will have a very different "voice" (crowing) than the girls and, again, this voice will be needed on/after puberty.

The only time I noticed the tail thing was with my barnevelders. Everything else is false.