Age for undeniable sexing?

[Roach]

I currently have Gold and Silver Wyandottes, Buff Orphingtons, and Australorps.

What is the age at which they can be sexed without ANY DOUBT. %100 accuracy?

And what is the method for doing so. I appreciate all the threads of posting young birds and people responding with sexes, but I would prefer to do it myself!

Thanks chicken people!

 

[LoveChickens123]

okay to know if one is a girl you pick it up with both hands flip it over so its belly is up right facing you and if it kicks it is a boy if it doesn't it is a girl

 

[Roach]

okay to know if one is a girl you pick it up with both hands flip it over so its belly is up right facing you and if it kicks it is a boy if it doesn't it is a girl

No offense, but I would say that's deniable information, there's no way it's consistent using that method!

 

[my sunwolf]

100% accuracy is at 6 months when they're sexually mature. However, it's possible to be 90% sure of sex by 8 weeks. There are a lot of great sexing threads here on BYC, including one by hdowden.

You can tell based on crowing (a very small percentage of hens crow), egg laying (roosters do not lay eggs), and hackle and saddle feathers (males will have pointed feathers and females will have rounded feathers).

There are only a few hen-feathered breeds. In all of the breeds you own, the cockerels will have pointed feathers along their necks (hackles) and just above their tails on their backs (saddles). On the pullets, these feathers will be rounded.

 

[Roach]

100% accuracy is at 6 months when they're sexually mature. However, it's possible to be 90% sure of sex by 8 weeks. There are a lot of great sexing threads here on BYC.

You can tell based on crowing (a very small percentage of hens crow), egg laying (roosters do not lay eggs), and hackle and saddle feathers (males will have pointed feathers and females will have rounded feathers).

There are only a few hen-feathered breeds. In all of the breeds you own, the cockerels will have pointed feathers along their necks (hackles) and just above their tails on their backs (saddles). On the pullets, these feathers will be rounded.

So, it's 8 weeks for undeniable feather shape sexing? I just didn't see a good side by side post showing exactly what to look for.

 

[my sunwolf]

So, it's 8 weeks for undeniable feather shape sexing? I just didn't see a good side by side post showing exactly what to look for.

No, roos don't grow the pointed hackles and saddles until 15-25 weeks depending on the bird. I'll see if I can find my hackle/saddle pics... At 8 weeks a lot of BYCers can guess sex based on other features listed in hdowden's article. Some of those features are comb, wattles, legs, stance, behavior.

 

[my sunwolf]

Cockerel (with pointed feathers)


Pullet (with rounded feathers)

 

[Ridgerunner]

It really varies chicken by chicken. Different chickens develop and feather out differently. Breed plays a part but just differences in chickens count too. I have more trouble with Buff Orps than with Black Australorps or Delaware. Usually I can tell by 4 to 5 weeks, but with some it has taken a lot longer. In many ways it is more of an art than a science.

One sure way is when they lay an egg. You probably don’t want to wait that long. Another really sure way is when the saddle and hackle feathers come in on a rooster. But again, that can take a really long time.

One of the best clues is that normally around 4 to 5 weeks, the comb and wattles develop and turn bright red on a male while the female’s combs and wattles stay pale until they get ready to lay. But they develop at different rates. Using this method it is often possible to tell that a chick is male, but some males develop later so you’re not always for sure one that has not developed yet is female or just late. Another potential problem with this is that the pea, walnut, or rose combs develop differently than the single combs. If they turn bright red that is a huge clue but you can’t always see extra development.

Around this age males usually develop heavier legs. That’s a big clue for me. Their bodies tend to take on different shapes. This does depend on breed a lot, but males tend to be more upright. Maybe the legs are not only thicker but longer. But some breeds are naturally short-legged.

Male chicks of the same breed and from the same parents can grow a bit faster than females. Again this is just a clue. Chicks that hatch from smaller eggs are going to be smaller so that can really mess this method up a bunch. But if they all hatched from eggs the same size, by 6 to 8 weeks you might start noticing a difference in size.

You get better at this with practice. And I do consider it more art than science until they get a lot older.

 

[LoveChickens123]

No offense, but I would say that's deniable information, there's no way it's consistent using that method!

it work for me it even says it on wiki