Rhode Island Reds

ria17

In the Brooder
5 Years
Apr 23, 2014
26
0
24
manitoba Canada
hi have 8 new chicks i bought last week they are all about a week old now if not just over a week, how do i tell if they are hens or roos? the guy who i bought them off had as much knowledge about sexing them as i did, which meant none at all :D It was like blind leading the blind. Hoping not to have ended up with more roos, just sold some I got last year :(
I could post a pic if that would help? thanks in advance :D
 
Too early to sex at a week. Wait three to four weeks. By then, the cockerels will have developed a bigger, redder comb than the pullets. Post a pic if you're not sure.
 
Last edited:
Yep, by four weeks the cockerels' combs will start turning pink at the base, and look bigger, plus you'll see waddles appearing under the chin. The pullets might get a little pink in the combs, but they are less likely to have waddles at that age. That's my experience anyways. It's easy to tell the difference IMO when you have pullets to compare progress against. Legs are also thicker on cockerels, and pullets will have fuller feathering on wings and tail.
 
Last edited:
Yep, by four weeks the cockerels' combs will start turning pink at the base, and look bigger, plus you'll see waddles appearing under the chin. The pullets might get a little pink in the combs, but they are less likely to have waddles at that age. That's my experience anyways. It's easy to tell the difference IMO when you have pullets to compare progress against. Legs are also thicker on cockerels, and pullets will have fuller feathering on wings and tail.

Too early to sex at a week. Wait three to four weeks. By then, the cockerels will have developed a bigger, redder comb than the pullets. Post a pic if you're not sure.
x2
 
Yep, by four weeks the cockerels' combs will start turning pink at the base, and look bigger, plus you'll see waddles appearing under the chin. The pullets might get a little pink in the combs, but they are less likely to have waddles at that age. That's my experience anyways. It's easy to tell the difference IMO when you have pullets to compare progress against. Legs are also thicker on cockerels, and pullets will have fuller feathering on wings and tail.
You're correct and all, but I just wanted to add that the leg thickness is not always an effective sexing method, because pullets can also develop thicker legs.
 
Last edited:
Hi everyone, so my chicks are 8 weeks old now and doing well, I have 3 roosters and the rest are hens.thanks everyone for the input.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom