Baby roosters vs baby hens

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, telling sex at this age is often more of an art than a science. There are some clues but very few dead giveaways at five weeks. I’ve had more problems with Buff Orps than I do with most single comb breeds, not sure why. And I agree. The pea, rose, or walnut combs are usually harder than single combs. I look more at the wattles than the comb with them. If the wattles are larger and redder instead of pink or orange, they are more likely male.

Size can be a clue, but if they are mixes I wouldn’t put too much into that. If the Ameraucanas have a rose-like comb instead of a pea then they are not Ameraucanas to start with but Easter Eggers, which are basically mixes to start with. You just don’t know what their offspring will inherit. That goes for all these clues.

It’s not just the feet but the legs that can be a big clue. Male legs are often thicker and maybe even a bit longer.

Males often have a more upright posture while the females tend to bend over more.

Females will face off with other females or with males, but males tend to do that a bit more often. Again, just a clue.

All this stuff is just clues. With them being crosses it’s even a bit harder. Usually about this age if I think one is probably a male, it usually is. But if I think one is probably a female, well I’ve occasionally been wrong there. Some males just develop later than others.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

All this stuff is just clues. With them being crosses it’s even a bit harder. Usually about this age if I think one is probably a male, it usually is. But if I think one is probably a female, well I’ve occasionally been wrong there. Some males just develop later than others.

Especially BOs. They are a hard-to-sex breed.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Lots of my chickens are mixes too and they develope slowly. That makes it lot more difficult. From a single clutch I'll get small chicks with big combs, big chicks with small combs, the combs being straight, rose, or none at all. Big legged hens and dainty legged roosters and some roosters never get pronounced hackle or saddle feathers.
A sure fire way for me to tell is like Ridgerunner said, by the color of their combs, or where their combs are supposed to be. It's hard to compare them if you only have several chicks. When I have 30-40 six week old chicks in a pen the roosters will stand out like a sore thumb from the red area on their heads, regardless of size, feathering, or attitude.

 

[JenniferP5970]

These are the best pictures I have of them so far. The two bigger ones have slightly
Larger combs, but no color differentiation as of yet. They are so fast its hard to get a good side profile of each one.

 

[Kicket]

I am dealing with that right now the bigger one is trying to rule the roost driving me nuts (their in my room) I hope too its not a rooster OB i guess his comb is pinkish the other dont have theirs yet.