Welsummer Chicks - A Case of Mistaken Identity

It seems that you shouldn't rely on first impressions when it comes to sexing Welsummer chicks.

Reading around it appears a lot of people are of the opinion that Welsummers can be sexed shortly after hatching based on the presence of sharply-defined dark marks at the corner of their eyes and on the backs of their heads. These observations are what I based my preliminary sexing opinions on a few weeks ago, but it appears they can't totally be relied upon.

Having just returned from a week in the wilderness, I can now seen a marked change in the appearance of my chicks. It is very apparent that two of my Welsummers have much larger and pinker combs than the other one. 

Male Welsummer chick at 3 weeks old.

These two Welsummers also have black flecks in their chest feathers and the early signs of wattle formation, which pretty much confirms their status as males.

Female Welsummer chick at 3 weeks old.

The other Welsummer, with a less-developed still yellow comb, is female. Her chest feathers are completely light brown and there are no signs of wattle formation.

Based on my experiences, there were very few differences between the male and female chicks on hatching. The secondary sexual characteristics of the male (e.g. rapid comb development, darker/mixed colour chest feathers, wattle formation) weren't really obvious until a couple of weeks after hatching.

Sadly the outlook for the two males is not good. I shall attempt to re home them, but experience suggests that not many people want cockerels. It's a real shame, as they will be magnificent birds when fully grown.