Cere Colours In The Nestbox

[**KAZ** 0]

Here are some very young baby chicks. I just want to do a series of photos showing that budgies can be easily sexed at a younger age in the nestbox. I am well able to identify the sex of a chick at 5 days of age now in most cases.

But here to show you what to look for is some photos.

 

 

See the largest chick in the nestbox and only just old enough to be getting its first pin feathers....its a HEN chick.

The smaller chick at the front is a boy. I will look for more photos and add to this topic. :budgiedance:

 

 

This chick is a female

 

Chick in the middle of this huddle is a boy

 

Female

Edited April 9, 2009 by KAZ

[bird_paradise 0]

cool! Thanks Kaz!

[renee 0]

Excellent post Kaz! Please post more pics with reasons for the sexing in relation to the ceres.

 

Am I correct in assuming that hens have more bulbous ceres?

[JimmyBanks 0]

the hens cere looks a bit paler in all those photo's is that how you can tell?

[Daz 0]

Very interesting. Kaz give some reasons for the decisions please. I can't tell at such a young age. :budgiedance:

 

 

I would agree that the one in the middle continues to develop and the cere stays like this, that it is a cock bird. But why do you think the others are hens?

 

I find this fasinating...

[LeanneR 0]

Although I am a complete novice at this, I think I can see a pattern happening here. The chicks that Kaz is saying are hens have a cere that is whiteish looking and perhaps slightly more bulbish and the chicks that she is saying are cocks, have ceres that are quite pink. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Emma 0]

That was my guess too - but before I read any captions! What a champion!

 

(or maybe just a fluke...) :budgiedance:

[**Liv** 0]

I find it more accurate to tell the gender at this young age. I start to get confused as they get older.

[Pearce 0]

I'm getting better at sexing at a young age. Heaps of practise.

[**KAZ** 0]

Although I am a complete novice at this, I think I can see a pattern happening here. The chicks that Kaz is saying are hens have a cere that is whiteish looking and perhaps slightly more bulbish and the chicks that she is saying are cocks, have ceres that are quite pink. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Pretty much IT in a nutshell. Females even at five days show the whitish cere and males a very bright pink. I dont actually go off the shape at all.............I will do more photos later today.

I find it more accurate to tell the gender at this young age. I start to get confused as they get older.

I find, if you pick the sex between 5 and ten days and write it down, you are 99.9% spot on.

[Daz 0]

You've given me something to look for this season I love a challenge.

[Emma 0]

This is great information for me before I get started

[**KAZ** 0]

Maybe because I work from home and have more easy access all hours of the day to the birds...it has made me notice the tiny things, and I find now...sexing a budgie baby at 5 days is more accurate than later....if I remember to write the sex down

Edited April 10, 2009 by KAZ

[LeanneR 0]

This is great information for me before I get started

 

 

Me too Emma.

 

"Pretty much IT in a nutshell. Females even at five days show the whitish cere and males a very bright pink."

 

:hooray: :bliss: :yes: Yay, go me!!! I can't believe I got something right...with budgies, I mean.

 

Edited April 10, 2009 by KAZ

[splat 0]

That's COOL Kaz can see what you are talking about , so will take more notice this season and see how acute I am

[**KAZ** 0]

More budgie baby sexing photos...........taken today. Unfortunately due to my ratio of hen chicks being hatched I only get one in ten being male.

 

female

 

female

 

female

 

female

 

male

 

female

[Jodie 0]

I can already see a difference in the cere color and the chicks are 1 day old, but I know they could change. But one's cere is the same color as it's skin and the other more white...I know I could still be wrong but I though I should mension it

[Cory 0]

wow thanks KAZ! this is very helpful

[**KAZ** 0]

I can already see a difference in the cere color and the chicks are 1 day old, but I know they could change. But one's cere is the same color as it's skin and the other more white...I know I could still be wrong but I though I should mension it

Very observant Jodie...you are already noticing the differences and seem to have worked it out :hb:

[krosp 0]

I used to get my babies wrong a lot, because I would wait until I could see whether there was blue or not and I just tried to guess if the blue was close enough to the nostrils, and if there was a lot of blue on the cere I assumed it was a boy.

 

When the penny finally dropped that baby boys are PINK and girls are white/blue then it became a lot more accurate. If I'm in doubt (with the varieties that are easy to sex that is), I assume it's a hen, because they can look quite blue at times, but boys' are usually quite obviously darker and fleshier coloured. I can see the differences in those young ones too.

 

Wish I'd known this when I was actually breeding lol would've saved a lot of my budgies from being named for the wrong gender!

[macka 0]

I will give you a 10/10 Kaz.

[SJW 0]

I will give you a 10/10 Kaz. :rofl:

 

I'll go 11/10! Great post Kaz. :hi:

 

I really can't wait for chicks now so that I can apply this!

[SJW 0]

Just had a further thought on this topic (sorry for double posting)......

 

Does this method work for the ino varieties in the nestbox?

[**KAZ** 0]

Just had a further thought on this topic (sorry for double posting)......

 

Does this method work for the ino varieties in the nestbox?

Ino is sex linked so pretty easy to work out what sexes you will have, but in saying that the ino hens have white ceres too even at the younger age. The way to spot an ino in a nestbox is by the red eyes which you see from day one.

Edited April 17, 2009 by KAZ

[**KAZ** 0]

Three day old baby....................

note also it still has its egg tooth on top of its top beak

Sex ? Hen. Can you see it ?