# Gender check!



## mitzy123point

I have 3 chicks that are 15 weeks old. 2 I am positive on the gender and the other I was positive until last week  "she" is starting to look a bit like a he. Her brother has been a clear rooster since 4 weeks old as was her 3 full brothers from my last hatch. But who knows . My rooster HATES the rooster chick but loves and feeds this questionable one as well as the pullet. All 3 hatched the same day with 12 other chicks that are all gone now these are the three I decided to keep.

This is the for sure pullet. She is a dilute blue ameraucana.
















This is the for sure rooster. He is a Dul Spearmint and was auto sexed

















This is the one in question... she is a black ameraucana


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## robin416

Here we are again with me guessing girl. But as you know that doesn't mean a thing.

I'll holler at NM to see if he'll toss his expertise into this decision.


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## mitzy123point

I'm hoping so!! She's one of my favorites  she just has a very masculine stance  and some pictures she looks more rooster than others, but her sister and mom was the same way as you know  this is another picture of her from last week when she was really looking rooster ish


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## robin416

You're right, that body language suggests male. I had Silkies that would keep me guessing because of that.


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## mitzy123point

I'm definitely hoping hen  other than body language I'm leaning towards pullet. Personality and sounds and the behavior of the others all point to pullet  I guess I'll have to wait a few more weeks


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## mitzy123point

robin416 said:


> You're right, that body language suggests male. I had Silkies that would keep me guessing because of that.


Did they end up being roos or hens?


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## robin416

Silkies can be notorious for sexing accurately until they either lay an egg or crow but if you raise them long enough you can spot the signs of which sex. 

The one I was thinking of was one girl that kept me guessing until she laid her first egg at nine months. That's really old for sexing a Silkie.


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## Maryellen

She looks like a she. If a rooster the comb would be red by now and the tail feathers longer. My 2 ameracauna hens look just like her. My two are super witches


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## robin416

You mean I got one right? Finally?


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## Sylie

I was thinking hen also but her legs look a little thick to me, maybe it's just the pic. Other wise, all signs so far point to hen imho


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## mitzy123point

Oh good!!! Glad you guys think pullet! I love her! She's just masculine when she stands her legs are as thick as her sisters maybe a tad bigger, but her sister was one of the ones I posted about that froze so she had a bit of a rough start and has been on the smaller side ever since. They still all sleep under mom which is about the cutest thing ever! They are almost full grown here's them with mom a few weeks ago just cause


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## robin416

I had Silkies chicks do that. I had one that was several months old, Mom hatched some new chicks and he still tried everything he could to get back under her at night. 

That's one of the many things that makes them so interesting.


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## Sylie

Mine are all hatchery so they never had a mom that they knew. (besides me lol, I spoil them) but when they were cold or scared they would come over and start peeping, I'd have to scoop them all up in one group and cuddle them to get them quiet again.


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## robin416

Yeah, peeps that are not raised by a Mom can be so different in behavior. Not as afraid of their humans as those being raised by a hen.


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## mitzy123point

It's so crazy mine have been the opposite but their mommas are always my favorites  the chicks are such sweeties and will snuggle and jump on my back!


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## robin416

Most hens will warn their peeps that there is danger near. If the hen is not attached to their human I can guarantee she will be warning her peeps to stay away from the giants that are approaching.


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## mitzy123point

I've been pretty lucky with friendly hens and friendly Broodys that know every time I show up I have food for them


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## mitzy123point

16 weeks old still unsure


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## robin416

I'm terrible at this as you know. I'm going to have to watch this, maybe I can learn something. At four months shouldn't there be more comb if it was a male?

These late bloomers are so frustrating.


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## Maryellen

Hen. If that was a rooster the tail feathers would be higher and look more rooster. If that was a rooster the comb would be redder. Ameracauna hens lay later sometimes. You might not get an egg for a few more months.


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## mitzy123point

Lol that's exactly what I've been thinking  but the tail is looking questionable  the 2 roosters that hatched are CLEAR roosters, this one is the only one that is not a clear rooster or pullet. When I posted on an ameraucana site everyone is saying roo  I'm completely confused and sadly it has a tad bit of roo personality but not enough for me to rule it out  the other two are already trying to mate


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## robin416

Like I said, I hate late bloomers. Luckily I only had one Sikie do that to me but it still took nearly nine months to find out she was a she.


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## Sylie

I've never had Ameraucana's myself but I have to stick to hen. That comb should be much redder, even if it was a late bloomer and the comb stayed smaller, it would still be red. I'm not allowed roo's where I live so whenever I get straight run chicks I have to make sure early on what I have. This screams hen to me.


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## mitzy123point

I'm really hoping hen! I breed ameraucanas and I'm normally able to sex by 4-5 weeks this one I was positive was a hen until now  but still hoping just a quick developing hen!


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## Maryellen

It's a hen. I have them and that's definitely a hen. The hens can be bad bitches lol and act like a roo. If it was a roo the comb would be bright red and the tail would be a rooster tail . She will lay late


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## mitzy123point

I'm leaning towards rooster today will be 17 weeks Tomorrow


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## robin416

I'm not touching this since I'm always wrong.


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## Maryellen

Any crowing yet? Can you get a non blurry pic somehow? 
Is the black one behind this one a ameracauna hen too?


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## mitzy123point

The two black ones in the back (not the marans) are hens but are almost a year. This one is currently their size of not a tad bigger I'll see if I have a non blurry picture  it doesn't look blurry on here though so not how great it will be














(center one)


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## mitzy123point

Here is the for sure rooster (half sibling) and for sure pullet (full sibling) all the same age


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## robin416

I said I was staying out of this but two things I noticed, how developed the barred roo's saddle feathers are. And the thickness of his legs next to the lavender female. I don't see either of those things with the bird that is keeping you guessing.


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## mitzy123point

I definitely hope you guys are right!


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## Maryellen

I still think hen.


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## mitzy123point

I'm just gonna keep updating once a week until there is an egg or crowing


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## mitzy123point

18 weeks on Wednesday and here is the siblings just cause I love them


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## robin416

That's fine. At this point we're all watching to see how this turns out. It's like waiting for the final episode of a TV show. 

Four months, right?


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## mitzy123point

Haha yep going on 5 months


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## robin416

Fingers crossed by six months you'll know because she laid her first egg. 

Notice what I did there with all the female references?


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## mitzy123point

Lol yes just all those female vibes!


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## Sylie

Well, hmm. if all of the pictures in post #34 are the same bird and also are the bird in question, I may have to change my vote. Those legs are awful thick and the comb in picture 2 is quite red and pronounced. I'm no pro by any means but....it's looking suspicious. Why can't these birds hatch with a blue or pink ribbon in their feathers??


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## Maryellen

Ameracauna sometimes dont lay till 8 months old.deoends on the bird. That comb is alot redder. But that could also mean laying is near. I still see hen ,I dont see the big tail feathers like the barred one. Usually roosters at 4 months are easy to tell


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## mitzy123point

I feel the same way! I've been hatching ameraucanas for years now and this is a really hard one for me  like I've said before I can almost always have the males sexed by 5 weeks and this is for sure the hardest one so far! My guys normally lay around 5-6 months but this one has a giant comb in general for a hen especially from my lines  it's bigger than most of the full grown laying hens, but no long tail feathers or saddle feathers, they are a little bit on the pointy side but no where near the brothers. I wish they would just hatch with like a bow or something or clear genitalia


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## Maryellen

Maybe it's a late bloomer?


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## mitzy123point

Maryellen said:


> Maybe it's a late bloomer?


Definitely possible  I guess we will know in a few weeks


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## mitzy123point

Well at 18 weeks old Elli decided it was time to.....crow  it was a good run


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## robin416

Ah man, that stinks. Seems having eyes right there is what won the day. Every instinct you had said boy.


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## mitzy123point

Yep  I'm sad but not surprised


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## Maryellen

Dam. Double dam. Talk about a late bloomer with no tell tail tail feathers


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## Sylie

I'm sorry  that is not cool of him to hide his gender for so long.


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## mitzy123point

At least he's pretty but I am getting new lines I'm keeping a rooster from so he's gotta go


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## mitzy123point

Just thought I'd do a final update as he is going to his new home this weekend! 
Her HE is 















And his brother Barry















And his full sister Anna








And turns out that the other sister (blue one in a few weeks back) also ended up being a sneaky rooster  I offered to rehome him and get their money back but they wanted to keep him he started crowing about 2 days ago at 22 weeks old


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## robin416

You sure hatch some late bloomers. That boy we all agonized over turned out to be one good looking bird.


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## mitzy123point

Thank you! I'm still a tad shocked it took them so long I wonder if it was something about being raised with a broody outside? In the winter?


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## robin416

Nope. It was probably something genetic since so many did it.


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## mitzy123point

Weird I’ve been hatching from the same roosters and hens for 2-3 years about 19 hatches and this is the first winter hatch and the first slow developing chicks 2 of the 15


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## Maryellen

Wow yeah he is a late bloomer! Definitely had me fooled


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