Sexing Chicks

[fried green eggs]

Feather sex worked 100% for me. I ended up with just two beautiful BR roos (Tom & Jerry) and one BO roo (Fabio) and all the rest are hens. I just hatched out some chicks from shipped eggs and a few from my BO and all of them are little hens.

 

[tashtash]

Ok I need help to. I'm new to the chicken game. I'm reading bout feather sexing. What is that. Or how do I tell roosters from hens at the chick stage.

 

[fried green eggs]

I have been told feather sexing doesn't work for all breeds but so far, I have correctly been able to tell on barred rocks, orpingtons - all colors, RIR, Austrolope, ameruacana, easter eggers are sometimes called americana's by hatcheries and eastern wild turkeys but, that may just have been beginners luck on the turkeys lol. I have used the method on hatchery chicks and pure breds from breeders.
I can't tell what sex the chicks are until they start to feather out. By day 4 and up to day14 - the little hens will feather out faster compaired to the roos. The tail feathers and wing feathers will be longer on the girls not just fluffy fuzz like the boys. The wing feathers will have a noticably longer tip on the little hens and will soon almost reach the base of the tail. The roos will look more even in length and be short compaired to the girls wings.
By the time the chicks are three weeks + old the boys seem to catch up some so, it is harder to tell them apart by feathers but, then within a couple more weeks the combs start to change so, boys are then easier to tell apart again.

 

[RWise]

I have 7 (Red Ameraucana Roo X Barred Rock) Black sex lick EE's, I have read that the boys have a white spot on back of their heads. 5 with the spot and 2 without, the ones with the spot have longer wing and tail feathers, the birds without said spot have shorter feathers.
I have 2 Ameraucana (red roo x blue hen) The bigger one has more feathers than the smaller one. I have found with this bread, the smaller chicks are usually pullets and the larger are usually roo's
2 black sex links from my Sisters (RIR roo x barred rock hen) and the one with the white spot has longer feathers. (lost the female, they have defects)
1 from the above combo that did not go sex link, and has little feathering, wings and tail.
2 (buff orpington roo x RIR hen) both buff in color, (for now) one small one larger, larger bird has more feathering.
1 (Red Ameraucana Roo X Barred Rock) that did not go sex link, looks like dad only chocolate in color, feathering out on tail and wings, I have thought this to be a cockerel from the moment he hatched, acts just like dad.
1 surprise you needed to wait longer before setting her eggs (silky bantam roo x barred rock)(he is only about 5" tall) Hoping this is a pullet, not feathering yet on tail but wings are. (the yellow one)

I have not really tried to feather sex them. These are just my observations.

My thought is all that are feathering fast are boys (in my brooder), time will certainly tell! In the pic you can see the white spot/s, I would love to be wrong here as I think I have mostly boys,,, bummer. The unknown (for me) here is that a black sex link is from a RIR Roo x barred rock hen, but my Roo is Red Ameraucana, maybe there is a RIR in his back ground for the color.?!? IDK
(The yellow chick is now the biggest!)



I would love for this to be a pullet, my bet is roo,,,

 

[dirtbagchickens]

well that is great. seems feathering works well when you get to know your breed and flock. I hatched just three from a barred rock roo and a leghorn hen. 2 look like hens , with the longer primary feathers and tail feathers coming in quick. 1 has very short wing feathers and no tail feathers, at about 10 days. they are looking to be mostly white, but cant wait to see if they have any barred coloring.

Anyone familiar with crossing barred rocks and leghorns?

I know user tadkerson has stated in https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/261208/sex-linked-information thread that they can be feather sexed but that is if its Plymouth ( not barred) rock hen with a leghorn roo.

 

[fried green eggs]

You should be able to feather sex barred rocks x leghorns. Many of the common production type breeds have the fast feathering gene from what I have found.

 

[hipphopanimal]

Any one help me sex these little ones, Mo, Snow and Hawk are Silkies and Pip is a serama

 

[jamierae16]

Sexing chicks is really an art. I'm shill wondering about my BO chick. shes 4 to 5 weeks old with a comb. Her feathers and body type don't scream roo to me tho. Any input it great!

 

[jamierae16]

Sorry about the misspellings

 

[Ruth Blough]

I went to you tube and found a few entries with pictures and all to show how to feather sex your chicks. It says you need to do this at 2 to 3 days old, otherwise the feathers will all be the same length! I'm going to the feed store next week and try my hand at it!! Supposedly, this doesn't work with silkies and frizzles I'm going to try anyway.