Tail growth in chicks as a sign of gender?

[Ketaped]

Yeah, her coloring was what was giving me the most hope that she really is a she - and good to know (I guess?) that hens can be just as bossy and beastly attitude-y as roos. Hopefully she works out the pecking order and can stop charging and jumping on all the other chicks. Only the RIR fights back anymore, the rest all seem to be totally cowed - doesn't stop her from body slamming them though. I'm going to be keeping a VERY close eye out for red shoulders as she grows, and hope not to see them. Are there any other color signs for picking out an EE roo from a pullet?

 

[Pele]

Upright tails are an EE thing, and not indicative of gender. Once she's fully feathered, we can tell gender by coloration.

 

[azcook]

I tried something new this year to sex some chicks and it worked to a "T". I have heard off and on for a while that if you hold a chick gently between your fingers and let the chick relax, a hen will relax its legs out straight down and a roo will pull its legs up when it starts to relax. I tried it and went 6 for 6

I have heard this a lot!!!! I am not 100% sure on if it was correct for me yet ALTHOUGH the 2 I tried it on both relaxed their legs and I am 99% certain that they are both pullets.... (they are around 5 wks old...)

 

[Ringgoldvol]

I tried it on Light Brahmas and Barred Rocks and they are 3 months old and obviously hens. Here is a pic of the chicks and my Partridge Cochins.

 

[7LilChicksOnThePrarie]

I know that unless a chick is sex linked, or otherwise bred for fuzzy-butt aged sexing, it's pretty hard to sex a chick before 6 weeks. I've also read that chicks where the tail feathers grow upright tend to be roos, while pullets have tails that grow horizontally. This second tidbit has me more than a little concerned that my EE pullet may not be - she's antisocial, a bully to the other chicks, screams like a banshee if you even try to get near her and now her tail feathers are coming in, they're nearly vertical, while all the others are horizontal. She's only 2.5 weeks old, so I'm hoping that this is just a phase (or a sign of a chick with attitude), and she really is a she, but I'm posting some pictures just in case someone can make an educated guess without all her juvenile feathers in. Any thoughts, or am I just worrying before I have any real data to worry on?

(She's the one in the back of this picture - the RIR and Speckled Sussex in the foreground are the same age - note the RIR's horizontal tail)

Thanks!

Yes I have a chick with a similar tail, she (or he) is really tame and just snuggles in your hand all the time. I was confused about this because all the others tend to just stick together and jump or scatter, but the one chick (Pippin until further notice) didn't seem to mind just sitting on your forearm and you just walking around minding your own business. This is because unfortunately our broody hen didn't accept our 4 little ones, so me and my mom are their "foster" mums. We noticed Pippin had a huge tail pointing up, and none of the others do. (They are 1 to 2 weeks old) The troubling part is, we got them from a sexed breed, so they should all be hens! Please let me know of you think it could be a roo so we can decide whether to keep it or sell it (maybe not telling the buyer if we know ).