Wing Sexing Chicks

[SweetLilRachy00]

Can you sex a chick based on it's wings? I hear different things from different sources.

BTW, they are RIR, and I HEARD that you can't with them...Any thoughts?

Suggestions?

I know we'll probably have a bunch of roos, and I want to know ahead of time. Thanks.

 

[cgmccary]

The wing sexing of chicks has worked for me with my Buckeye chicks. It has NEVER been wrong for me.

If the wing primary pin feathers are all EVEN in length, then it is a cockerel. If the wing primary pin feathers are UNEVEN lengths, then it is a pullet.

It DOES NOT work in all breeds.

CHRIS

 

[cgmccary]

I don't know, I just have one Buff Orp, a pure pet, and she was bought sexed already.

I doubted the wing sexing in the beginning, but I have found it to be true.

Last year, I had one clutch of seven eggs all laid by the same hen, all the eggs laid consecutively by her (I had her caged exclusively with one male Buckeye to insure fertile, "known" eggs). This one hen laid her eggs every other day so it took 14 days to collect the seven eggs. I set these 7 eggs, and they all hatched. Wing sexing showed them all pullets. I said, "then it must not work, . . . they can't all be pullets. . ." WELL, I was wrong, all of them were pullets! I couldn't believe it!

I'd like to hear from folks who have hatched other breeds and tried it.

CHRIS

 

[meriruka]

Quote:
All these boring things like facts and logic. Bah. I still wanna try it. It's sort of like gambling when you think you have an edge (even though you never do) Think how impressed your friends will be if you're MORE than 50% right!

 

[Chick_in_Indiana]

feathersite.com has some interesting ideas on chick sexing but it doesnt cover bantams.

 

[oberhaslikid]

Ive done the ring thing too it worked for me.
here you go check this out.
http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/sld003.htm

 

[ebonykawai]

Well, the hatcheries usually sex via wing feathers and RIRs are sold at them, so you can probably give it a try if they are hatchery birds. There's a video on YouTube, let me see if I can find it.

I think this is it...

 

[jimnjay]

If you mean that the feathers on the wings of the hens come in sooner than on the males, I have not found that to be a very reliable way to sex on Silkies. It is pretty good for hard feathered birds like Barred Rocks and I am hoping on the Red Star Cross I hatched. I study the wings of the Silkies I hatch and I don't see much difference. With larger breeds there is only a 3 or 4 day window to work with on the wing sexing anyway. I have never marked them to see if it works but it might be worth a try.

 

[SweetLilRachy00]

I can't view videos. I have dial up

I'm not sexing silkies...I'm wanting to sex RIRs.

I bought them from TSC on Monday (the day they arrived) so DH and I are thinking they were bought from MMH (Hatched on Friday, shipping Sat. Arrived Mon)

Since quiet a few of them still had their egg tooth when I got them home.

I was thinking that their wings looked different for each sex, but I also read on another chicken forum that with RIR sometimes you can't.

 

[jimnjay]

Sorry, I don't know why I thought I saw Silkie in there. I must have Silkies on the brain.

At my feed store the gal who took care of the chicks was farm raised. She is the one who told me about the wing sexing. It has worked for me with RIRs, Buff OrpX and Barred Rocks.