Determining the gender of Easter Egger or mixed breed chickens when they are just a week old is usually difficult as visual sexing traits are not prominent at that age. However, there are some methods that you can try to determine their gender, but keep in mind that these methods are not always accurate:
1. Vent Sexing: This method involves inspecting the chick's vent to identify the presence of male or female reproductive organs. It's best to have an experienced handler to do this, as it requires gentle and careful handling of the chicks.
2. Feather sexing: This method involves identifying the wing feathers' growth patterns, which may differ between males and females. However, this is a technique mostly used for purebred chicks, so it may not be effective for mixed breed birds.
3. Wait and see: The most viable option for sexing mixed breed or Easter Egger chicks when they are one or two weeks old is to wait for their secondary sex characteristics to develop. By the fourth or fifth week, roosters will generally have larger combs and wattles than the hens, and they may begin to crow. However, this method requires patience and the ability to keep roosters if some chicks turn out to be male.
It's important to keep in mind that sexing chicks can be difficult, and there are no guaranteed methods to determine gender accurately.
