Sexing Baby Chicks
Down Color
The general and simplest rule in sexing chicks by down color is to remember males have lighter heads, sometimes with a white or yellow spot.
Females have a darker down color, often with a black or brown spot or stripes on their heads,
or with darker stripes on their backs.
Also pullets usually get their wing and tail feathers before cockerels {in the first week or so}.
New Hampshires and Buff Orpingtons -
Males have an off white stripe at the upper wing joint.
Females have a brown or black spot on their head, or a hint of brown lines on their back.
Barred Rocks -
Chicks with yellow head spots are males.
This will prove true in other Barred or Cuckoo patterned chicken breeds.
Also a black wash color on front of the legs indicates a pullet, yellow legs indicate a male.
The Black Sex Link - Black Star -
Female is a completely black chick.
Males are black with a white spot on the top of their heads.
The Red Sex Link - Red Star, Golden Comets, ISA Browns, Cinnamon Queens -
Females hatch out a buff or red.
Males hatch out white.
Secondary Sex Characteristics start to show up around 4 to 6 weeks
The males comb is larger and more pinkish, the pullets comb will be small and yellowish.
The males head will be larger and more angular, the pullets head tends to be smaller and rounder.
The males tail is stumpy and curved, the pullets tail is longer and straight.
The males legs are sturdy and long, the pullets legs are finer and shorter.
The males posture is more upright and erect, while females are lower set.
Breed Specific Indications
Barred Rocks and Cuckoo Marans -
Males have wider white barring.They will often appear more silvery-grey than black.
The males usually have a much larger, splotchier headspot.
Rhode Island Reds -
By 5 weeks males have larger and thicker legs and a larger (pinkening) comb and wattle area.
A dark line visible on the RIR chicks' head indicates a pullet.
Salmon Faverolles -
By 2 weeks you can usually see a difference in the colours on the wings.
Black should indicate a cockerel.
Salmon brown should indicate a pullet.
Silkies -
It can be several months before signs start to appear.
Boys tend to stand more erect and girls more likely to be short and squatty.
If the feathers swoop back towards the neck on the crest, then it is likely to be a boy.
White Crested Polish -
The females tend to get more fluffy, mushroom looking crests.
Old Wives Tales
If you pick a chick up with two fingers by the back of the neck, the pullets will draw their legs up to their body and the cockerels legs will dangle.
Hold your chick on their back in your hand. If they stop kicking after a short time, it's a pullet, if they keep kicking it's a cockerel.
Needle and Thread - dangle the needle over your chick ... if it moves around and around it is a female.
If it swings back and forth it is male - this is supposed to work for both chicks and eggs.
This information was obtained from the internet and from different individuals {chicken people}.
I'm not saying it's all tried and true, but it might help in giving you a place to start.
If you know of something thats not on here, PLEASE let me know and I will add it to this page.
Thank You, Email - CountryRoosterUSA
