8 chicks - hen or roo?

The Kid Farmer · Mar 18, 2022

Hi! This is my first post on BYC, and I would love some help *trying* to sex my 8 3.5 week old chicks. I will post 2 pics of each chick and if you could explain why you thought what you did that would be great, I want to try and learn how to sex them myself. Also, we are not completely sure of all the breeds, so if what I say they are is wrong then please correct me!

Pic #1 & #2 - Plymouth Rock Barred, Sunny
Pic #3 & #4 - White Cochin, Daisy
Pic #5 & #6 - Golden Laced Wyandotte, Boba
Pic #7 & #8 - Easter Egger, Dumpling
Pic #9 & #10 - White Cochin, Marshmallow
Pic #11 & #12 - Easter Egger, Ruffles
Pic #13 & #14 - Egyptian Fayoumi, Cleo (Like Cleopatra

)

Note: I don't know what order the pictures are in, but the names are on the photos so that should help. Also, I'm not sure about the size either but you can always zoom in. Cleo couldn't hold still for a photo so they're not great quality, but I seriously doubt she's a roo.

The Kid Farmer · Mar 18, 2022

You can also click on the photo to enlarge it.

nuthatched · Mar 18, 2022

Hi there, where did you get them? that will help deduce what breeds they are. Boba iand Sunny are the only suspected roos so far, but it's a little early to tell yet.
Males usually have their combs and wattles develop sooner and red/brown shoulder patches on their wings, depending on the breed.

HappyClucker7 · Mar 18, 2022

Boba is the only definite boy at this point. Dumpling looks like he could be a boy. The rest you'll have to wait until they are a little older.

The Kid Farmer · Mar 18, 2022

We got our chicks from meyer hatchery, and we know which breeds we ordered but we don't know which is which.

chickfused · Mar 29, 2022

I am not sure that Boba is a boy. Every Wyandotte I have ever had was red as heck and wattley by 3.5 weeks, and they all turned into lovely hens. That breed is tricky.

Dumpling was giving me roo vibes too.

The Kid Farmer · Mar 29, 2022

Okay! Crossing my fingers that it's a hen because we can't have a rooster! :fl

The Kid Farmer · Apr 4, 2022

Update: 6 weeks old now!
There are 3 chicks that we 100% know are pullets, but the other 4 I will post pictures of.
Pics #1, #2, #3 - Ruffles: Easter Egger
Pics #4, #5, #6 - Sunny: Barred Plymouth Rock
Pics #7, #8, #9 - Boba: Golden Laced Wyandotte
Pics #10, #11, #12 - Dumpling: Easter Egger

Boba and dumpling are definitely "chucking" now (combination of cheeping and clucking), but ruffles and sunny are not. Dumpling is probably the biggest one, but Boba has a very red comb and red wattles, which none of the others have. Ruffles doesn't really have any cockerel "symptoms" but definitely behaves like one or at least the top hen!

I also included a top view of all the chicks together (which almost never happens!)