Telling Sex of Chick!?!?!?!?!

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JacksHomestead

JacksHomestead

Chirping
Jul 29, 2015
109
7
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Huntsville AL,
I'm finally getting my chickens tomorrow i will be getting 4! The problem is that i can't have any roosters i only know the way of looking at the wing feathers as a means of telling the sex???? Are there any tips i can use?!? PLEASE HELP can't want roosters only need hens!

THANKS
 
The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is an old myth. Its a 50/50 chance that's its going to be right or not. If you hold the chick like a mother to a puppy and the the chick raises its feet, its a rooster. If the chick drops its feet then its a pullet. I know it wont always be accurate but it was right when we tested it on our silkie chick from a breeder. You could also go to a Bowman's or something other then tractor supply because tractor supply has straight run chicks and your more likely to get a rooster at a straight run place. If there's a Bowman's where you live, I would suggest there. When we got our chicks there, they were all girls.
 
How old are they and where are you getting them? If they are five weeks old or older, this may help you.

How to sex chicks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48329

What breeds are they? There are a few breeds that are auto-sexing but we need to know your breeds before we get into that.

Feathersexing or color sexing only works of the parents are set up right genetically. Unless you know that they are set up to be sex links don’t count on this. Unless you know the genetic background of the parents this stuff does not come with guarantees. There are a few hints that can help you improve your odds but it is mostly a crap shoot.

If they are barred look for the ones that are darkest in color. The males will have two barred genes, the hens only one, so the males will be lighter in shade. This can be really hard to detect. Also, if they are barred the males will have a larger white spot on the top of the head while the females will have a smaller spot up there. Again, this can be tricky.

Mainly you want healthy chicks. Don’t get any standing around fluffed up and acting lethargic. Avoid the ones with a lot of poop on their butts. You want healthy looking active chicks. Do not fall for the one that needs help. That is a mistake.

Try to avoid the ones you fall in love with. Males have more of a personality and have more curiosity. The males are the ones that will explore and come out to great you. Even at a very young age they tend to put themselves between a potential threat (you) and the flock. The pullets are more likely to hang back and let the boys protect them.

Males tend to have large clunky legs and an upright posture. Some of this depends on breed too but look for the ones with more spindly delicate legs and the upper body more flat with the floor as opposed to standing very erect.

None of this stuff comes with guarantees, especially if they are mixed breeds. Hopefully this will help you out a bit. Good luck!
 
Ridgerunner said:
How old are they and where are you getting them? If they are five weeks old or older, this may help you.

How to sex chicks
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=48329

What breeds are they? There are a few breeds that are auto-sexing but we need to know your breeds before we get into that.

Feathersexing or color sexing only works of the parents are set up right genetically. Unless you know that they are set up to be sex links don’t count on this. Unless you know the genetic background of the parents this stuff does not come with guarantees. There are a few hints that can help you improve your odds but it is mostly a crap shoot.

If they are barred look for the ones that are darkest in color. The males will have two barred genes, the hens only one, so the males will be lighter in shade. This can be really hard to detect. Also, if they are barred the males will have a larger white spot on the top of the head while the females will have a smaller spot up there. Again, this can be tricky.

Mainly you want healthy chicks. Don’t get any standing around fluffed up and acting lethargic. Avoid the ones with a lot of poop on their butts. You want healthy looking active chicks. Do not fall for the one that needs help. That is a mistake.

Try to avoid the ones you fall in love with. Males have more of a personality and have more curiosity. The males are the ones that will explore and come out to great you. Even at a very young age they tend to put themselves between a potential threat (you) and the flock. The pullets are more likely to hang back and let the boys protect them.

Males tend to have large clunky legs and an upright posture. Some of this depends on breed too but look for the ones with more spindly delicate legs and the upper body more flat with the floor as opposed to standing very erect.

None of this stuff comes with guarantees, especially if they are mixed breeds. Hopefully this will help you out a bit. Good luck!
Click to expand...
x2
I will add that if your picking chicks with pea combs or rose combs, pick the ones with nearly invisible combs.
 
THANKS sorry im late responding but they will be one day old so not much help there... and they are buff orpingtons!! Also im getting them from a local breeder!

THANKS AGAIN
 
If you don't want to deal with rehoming roosters later, you may well want to rethink this purchase. You'll get 50% roosters by the law of averages. You can chance it, raise them up until their gender is apparent, and try to sell the roosters (good luck there), then try to get more hens to bring your numbers back up, and get 50% roosters.....etc. Or, you can find older birds that can be sexed by sex characteristics. Or, you can buy sexed pullets from a hatchery, still not 100% but way better than randomly grabbing a chick from a hatch.
 

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