Pullet or Cockerel and some other ???\'s

[Guest]

I have about a 9 week old chick that I am unsure if it\'s a pullet or cockerel. A few weeks ago it looked very much like a pullet, however this weekend it\'s looking more like a cockerel. For you guys that have more experience can you guess what this chick might be?


Above photo was taken on 6/20




Above 2 photos were taken 7/11. In these 2 photos I am thinking this chick is looking more like a cockerel than a pullet. The reason why I say this is because I have another chick same age that I know for sure is a cockerel and this chicks comb looks a lot different than the chicks I have that I know for sure are pullets. However, I am also wondering if this could just a fast maturing pullet? I say this because this blue chick feathered in really quick.

My other question(s) I have is regarding the silver color. I have done searches here and can\'t really find an answer to my question. Many of you talk about the silver females having shafting in there feathers and that is not a very desirable trait from what I understand. What is exactly meant by shafting and could someone post a picture of what it is referred to by shafting?

Thanks
Kim

[Jean]

Looks like a cockerel.

I asked the same question a while back and here is the reply I got about shafting, stippling and striping.

Jean,
Shafting is the light colored shaft on a dark feather. It appears to give the feather a center stripe. Striping is the dark center of a feather that is lighter on the outside edges, most notably in hackle and saddle feathers. Silver males, for example, should have hackle and saddle striping. Stippling is comprised of the fine dots on a body feather, as in silver females. The finer the stippling, the more even a color the feather will be - which is desireable. A common fault of silver females is shafting in the body feathers where there should only be stippling. I think these terms are covered in the Standard of Perfection\'s glossary, but have not looked at it for many moons.  
.........................
Mike Gilbert

Pilgrim in a foreign land
and true believer.

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Posted Aug 7, 2007, 7:18 pm  
 

[Guest]

I would guess pullet based on evenness of coloring, since males get so much darker on wing feathers, but maybe it\'s too young to tell. Hope it turns out as a good bird for you, whichever gender it is  

[verycherry]

I\'d like to ask the experienced breeders here if it\'s true that the females have a fairly smooth comb, maybe with a small ridge or row of bumps in the center, and the males usually have three rows of bumbs on their comb?  

I\'ve heard this, and it happens to be true in my 4, but I don\'t know if this is the rule, and mine are Ameraucana mixes.  

My one roo has three distinct rows of bumps on his comb, but the females have only a slight ridge in the center.

[Mike Gilbert]

You will find variation, as chickens don\'t come out of a mold.
The Standard of Perfection calls for three distinct rows on both sexes, but of course the females\' comb is and should be much smaller that that of the males\'.