Wing Sexing Chicks

SweetLilRachy00

Songster
14 Years
Oct 30, 2007
223
2
224
Simpsonville, SC
Can you sex a chick based on it's wings? I hear different things from different sources.

BTW, they are RIR, and I HEARD that you can't with them...Any thoughts?

Suggestions?

I know we'll probably have a bunch of roos, and I want to know ahead of time. Thanks.
 
Well, the hatcheries usually sex via wing feathers and RIRs are sold at them, so you can probably give it a try if they are hatchery birds. There's a video on YouTube, let me see if I can find it.

I think this is it...

 
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If you mean that the feathers on the wings of the hens come in sooner than on the males, I have not found that to be a very reliable way to sex on Silkies. It is pretty good for hard feathered birds like Barred Rocks and I am hoping on the Red Star Cross I hatched. I study the wings of the Silkies I hatch and I don't see much difference. With larger breeds there is only a 3 or 4 day window to work with on the wing sexing anyway. I have never marked them to see if it works but it might be worth a try.
 
I can't view videos. I have dial up
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I'm not sexing silkies...I'm wanting to sex RIRs.

I bought them from TSC on Monday (the day they arrived) so DH and I are thinking they were bought from MMH (Hatched on Friday, shipping Sat. Arrived Mon)

Since quiet a few of them still had their egg tooth when I got them home.
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I was thinking that their wings looked different for each sex, but I also read on another chicken forum that with RIR sometimes you can't.
 
Sorry, I don't know why I thought I saw Silkie in there. I must have Silkies on the brain.

At my feed store the gal who took care of the chicks was farm raised. She is the one who told me about the wing sexing. It has worked for me with RIRs, Buff OrpX and Barred Rocks.
 
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Wing sexing only works for certain breeds. It is not accurate at all in other breeds.

I don't believe RIR's are a breed that can be wing/feather sexed as day olds.

Hatcheries use three methods of sexing day olds - color sexing in sex-link chicks, wing/feather sexing for those breeds and vent sexing for the rest, where a specially trained worker peeks into the vent to see if the chick has male or female parts.
 
We most have posted at the same time. OK picked up a chick....umm...they already have feathers on their wings. not fluff like on their bodies. They all look the same.

Arlee, I did see the episode of Dirty Jobs where they were 'squeezing the poo outta chicks' at MMH. Though, I couldn't try that! I might not squeeze right! LOL
 
The wing sexing of chicks has worked for me with my Buckeye chicks. It has NEVER been wrong for me.

If the wing primary pin feathers are all EVEN in length, then it is a cockerel. If the wing primary pin feathers are UNEVEN lengths, then it is a pullet.

It DOES NOT work in all breeds.

CHRIS
 
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