[geebee]

On Sunday night I rid candling the 11 eggs under my wee Wyandotte bantam, couldn't see into the eggs at all & as I thought it was 3 weeks since she started sitting on them properly thought maybe I wasn't going to have any chicks. Then I heard one pipping! Next morning 3 had hatched. Things were geting scary outside with branches crashing down & feared for the shed they were in so brought them inside. By this morning al 11 had hatched. They've been eating chick crumbs and doing great.
Mum is a gold laced dad a chocolate partridge, chicks are different shades of  brown with darker stripes down their backs, 2 or 3 are quite a bit lighter....more yelowish. Is it just wishful thinking that these are cockerels, would be great if I only had 3 out of 11. Anyone have any ideas?

[doganjo]

On Sunday night I rid candling the 11 eggs under my wee Wyandotte bantam, couldn't see into the eggs at all & as I thought it was 3 weeks since she started sitting on them properly thought maybe I wasn't going to have any chicks. Then I heard one pipping! Next morning 3 had hatched. Things were geting scary outside with branches crashing down & feared for the shed they were in so brought them inside. By this morning al 11 had hatched. They've been eating chick crumbs and doing great.
Mum is a gold laced dad a chocolate partridge, chicks are different shades of  brown with darker stripes down their backs, 2 or 3 are quite a bit lighter....more yelowish. Is it just wishful thinking that these are cockerels, would be great if I only had 3 out of 11. Anyone have any ideas?

Some breeds are auto sexing at hatching, but I don't think there is any guarantee with hybrids otherwise.  You'll get one of our chicken experts along any minute now!

[jaykay]

Hurry for new chicks 

At 2-3 days old look at their newly appearing flight feathers. If alternately long and short = pullet. If overall shorter and much the same length = cockerel.

Worth ringing them at this stage, cos then it can be quite hard to tell for a while (I once drew with marker pen on the cockerels' shins, til I ordered some rings -just don't use red )

The pullets tend to feather up faster, including growing little tails first too. Eventually, you'll see bigger wattles on the cockerels.

[BlueDaisy]

With that cross all the females should show chocolate, while none of the males will.
Ths is what the genetics calcultor says...
Genotypes:
 ERe+ Coco+ Dbdb+ Pgpg+ Mlml+ Cha+Cha+ mh+mh+ di+di+ Ig+Ig+ cb+cb+ i+i+ bl+bl+ Lav+Lav+ C+C+ Mo+Mo+ b+- s+- choc-
Gender = Female, Ratio = 1/2 = 50%, minimum of animals to breed: 2
chocolate patterned gold incomplete doublelaced/halfspangled?   
 
 ERe+ Coco+ Dbdb+ Pgpg+ Mlml+ Cha+Cha+ mh+mh+ di+di+ Ig+Ig+ cb+cb+ i+i+ bl+bl+ Lav+Lav+ C+C+ Mo+Mo+ b+b+ s+s+ Choc+choc
Gender = Male, Ratio = 1/2 = 50%, minimum of animals to breed: 2
black patterned gold incomplete laced/halfspangled?    Split: chocolate

Phenotypes:
 Pullets: chocolate patterned gold incomplete doublelaced/halfspangled?

 Cockerels:  black patterned gold incomplete laced/halfspangled?


I would go with what Jaykay says... you're not supposed to be able to tell from feathering unless you cross a fast feathered to a slow feathered. But I've found that in most cases females are quicker to feather than males.

[geebee]

Thanks everyone for that, Yes I was going to try looking at flight feathers as they appear. Re:'pullets showing chocolate' I presume that means adult plumage, so what would they look like now? They al seem to have different markings, I will probably just have to wait until there are more obvious differences, just impatient and want to know NOW! Am getting soome rings, the marker pen is a good tip! They are back in the shed tonight, didnt realise how bad they smell!

[jaykay]

They are back in the shed tonight, didnt realise how bad they smell

ha, don't they just - my ducklings went outside quite quickly cos they're worse Still got chicks in the hall but none in the kitchen now 

[geebee]

Well I checked the flight feathers and was amazed at how different theyare, the 'all the same length' ones and the 'alternate long & short' ones. If the theory is right I would seem to have only 3 cockerels out of 11    Have marked them with pen and ordered rings.

[jaykay]

Good going. It works for my LF Wyandottes 

[geebee]

So..leg rings arrived & attempted top put them on     Once read that to prepare for motherhood & dressing babies/toddlers you should first become competent at putting an octopus covered in baby oil into a string bag....likewise with ringing chicks! And of course they were too big so they all walked out of them 8mm it said for bantam chicks. What size would  anyone else use? Don't know whether to send for smaller ones just so I can prove/disprove the theory, or wait til they grow into these 

[jaykay]

Hmmm. I use no.2 flatbands - 6mm (expand with growth) on my LF new chicks.

Lol on the octopus