Sexing Buff Orpingtons

[Young MacDonald]

I have 10 day old Buff Orpington chicks. They were supposed to be all pullets, but I know the hatcheries can't sex them with 100% accuracy.

Three have developed tail feathers and one has not. I know that tail feather development is an early indicator of sex in Rhode Island Reds. Are Orpintons the same way?

Do you all think I have 3 pullets and 1 cockerel? Or are BO different from RIR?

thanks

 

[Omran]

it is really to early to tell, I would wait at least till they are about 6 weeks old. and post pictures.

 

[TripleH]

I'm not an expert. New to chicks this year.
I have 5 BO's Str. Run pics, 2 def. hens, 1 def. Roo,
started crowing at 12 weeks. 2 with larger combs, not
bright red and not crowing----but their tails are all over
the board. The roo has a tail like the 2 hens?? not very long.

 

[al6517]

For me BO's seem to be the very hardest to sex, I always seem to have to wait what seems like forever to figure it out.

AL

 

[Young MacDonald]

Thanks, all. Maybe I will have to use the tried and true method of "wait," which is fine. I was just curious when I noticed the different development this morning.

 

[yellowfinns]

I'm wondering about this, too. Mine are 2 weeks & I have 4 with wing feathers that extend to the end of their bodies + tails, and 6 that don't have either.

I've also heard that male BO's have a dark spot on their heads, and I have some with spots, but the spots are on both chicks with the more advanced feathering and the less advanced feathering.

I'll post pics later...the differences are quite dramatic.

 

[m2wandc]

sex guessing seems to be almost as much fun as raising baby chicks

I am curious to hear more about this, I was PRETTY DARN SURE my BO is a pullet, but with people saying they are hard to tell, I guess I might still be on the waiting list too??? Maybe her name Buffy won't stick? LOL...she's been named several times in the past 7 weeks, what's one more name...LOL

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

I have 3 BOs 6 weeks old. Two are girls. At about a week old, two had wings all the way to their tails and the boy had little nubs. We didnt know at that time that he was a boy, just thought he was slower, but now, it is confirmed by his actions (pesters the girls and is just bossy) and by the increasingly larger crop. He has not crowed.....YET

Congratulations you may have a BOY

EDITED: Yes, i would agree that our Boy stands differently as well. Taller, erect, chest in

 

[jvls1942]

I have raised buffs for a longg time.. at one week old the roos will get a little tail that sticks up straight.. the dark spot on the head means nothing.. at ten weeks, the feathers should be pointy on the males..

from early on, the roosters will often stand very erect..

there is no 100% way ..

I have a hen that you would swear is a rooster,but she lays eggs....

...

..

 

[yellowfinns]

Ok, here's my pics! What do you guys think?

The first two are pics of chicks with short wings and no tails:

And the rest are ones with long wings and tails: