# Boys vs girls and combs



## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

So. My last 2 chicks last year were female , little pea combs grew as they were growing.
My Fab 5 I thought were all boys, then I thought had one girl in the mix. Now I am not sure at all as 3 have no combs growing but look type wise as boys , 1 blond chick has a big comb growing in (pure ccl) so he is boy type color and Reba the rir ccl mix has a prominent comb growing. Runt was born a day after the other 4. 

I was told 4 boys 1 girl by someone who said wing feathers were different.. now I'm not sure she was right and if she isn't I'm glad I don't listen to anyone cause if the 3 with no combs grow to be female she had wanted me to kill them as she said they were boys. Now I won't do that, I'll grow them out and sell them if boys. But I can't kill a baby chick just because it might be a boy.
So thoughts on comb growing at 2 weeks old?


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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

My 2.5 and 3 wks old all have small combs.The 2.5 wks I bought as "pullets" look like the 3 wk olds.The one difference I see in my chicks is a couple of the ones I hatched have really long legs and I think they may be cockerels.I can never tell the difference until 3-4 mos old.I don't aggravate myself over it,they are what they are.They are still my babies.But if you figure it out let me know how you did it.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I've had 3 sister Jerseys as chicks and all three had different combs like in redness or growth. Sometimes I can tell by posture and personality. The easiest ones I think were the Buff Laced Polish. The males were a lot darker and more like streaks than lacing. So the ones that got darker did so early and I knew. I had 4 silkies born one time and just knew they were all girls. They acted just like their mother. Weird. Not all birds can be sexed by wings. I wish there was a class on how to sex day olds. I know someone in Ocala who's husband could do it. I had a Buff Orpington once who I knew was a boy because his comb started turning color at a week old. 

Good luck!


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## WeeLittleChicken (Aug 31, 2012)

You cannot wing feather sex all chicks - only breeds which are "rapid feathering" or which are a rapid feather rooster X slow feathering hen cross. Anything else and you won't be able to tell anything.

Combs are much the same. Crosses are _really_ difficult because you never quite know what their comb should look like. And then regular combs are MUCH easier than rose combs, etc. Rose combs are the bane of my existence -- I can never tell until months in! On the other hand my Seramas I have gotten so good at spotting the differences that I can usually tell at two-three weeks and there's been a few I could tell as early as three days!

Perhaps you should take a few photos and see if anyone can give you a better guess.


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

If I can get them to sit still long enough tomortow I'll snap some pics


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)




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## chickenqueen (Jan 9, 2016)

No matter what sex they are,they are still adorable!


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## Maryellen (Jan 21, 2015)

I put new pics up in a new thread


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