gender of my welsummer

[debid]

You can use the coloring rules for mixes, sure! There's a whole thread on sexing EEs this way. It gets a bit less obvious on some color combinations but if you know what to look for, chicks that start life as chipmunks can be sexed by feather patterns at 3-4 weeks.

BTW, I think hatcheries cross in brown Leghorns to boost productivity. I've seen a pretty huge variation in comb size and body build that screams Leghorn influence.

 

[donrae]

You can use the coloring rules for mixes, sure! There's a whole thread on sexing EEs this way. It gets a bit less obvious on some color combinations but if you know what to look for, chicks that start life as chipmunks can be sexed by feather patterns at 3-4 weeks.

BTW, I think hatcheries cross in brown Leghorns to boost productivity. I've seen a pretty huge variation in comb size and body build that screams Leghorn influence.

Me, too. That's why your average hatchery bird is a pound or more smaller than their SOP counterparts, matures earlier and lays so much more. I mean, some of that could be simply selective breeding, but you could skip several generations of selection by just tossing a brown leghorn rooster in the pen......

 

[bearupac]

Here are some more photos taken today. Pretty sure I have a little cockerel on my hands.

 

[K Spot]

Roo - But I don't think it's pure Welsummer. Wellies should have yellow legs, from what I can tell, your chick does not.

 

[debid]

Now that you have a photo from the front, I can tell you with confidence that it's NOT a Welsummer! Not even a Welsummer mix. No, that's a speckled Sussex. See the white in the chest? The white wing tips? It's hatchery quality, no doubt, but SS.

That also means it may be male since the comb has acquired a pretty dark hue pretty early. If that comb grows over the next couple weeks, you can be sure of it.

 

[Veer67]

Now that you have a photo from the front, I can tell you with confidence that it's NOT a Welsummer! Not even a Welsummer mix. No, that's a speckled Sussex. See the white in the chest? The white wing tips? It's hatchery quality, no doubt, but SS.

That also means it may be male since the comb has acquired a pretty dark hue pretty early. If that comb grows over the next couple weeks, you can be sure of it.

I agree.

 

[bearupac]

Well poop. Haha all this time I thought I had a welsummer pullet, as that is what I purchased.

How do you determine the gender of a young SS? Are there any for sure qualities for either sex?

 

[Veer67]

Well poop. Haha all this time I thought I had a welsummer pullet, as that is what I purchased.

How do you determine the gender of a young SS? Are there any for sure qualities for either sex?

I don't think there's any other way than by comb/wattle size and redness. Some say that roosters have more white in them, but it's hard to tell when they are hatchery quality. I would have to say that your SS is a little cockerel from the size and redness of that comb.

 

[debid]

The comb is pretty big BUT there aren't any wattles showing yet and the comb isn't cockerel red yet. You'll just have to wait and see. Most roosters are obvious by seven weeks.

 

[BantamLover21]

After seeing its front, I change my guess to Speckled Sussex cockerel.