Barred Rock Chicks Need Sexing

[speckledhen]

Remember, NOTHING is 100% accurate. Even roos will have a little dark wash down the leg fronts most of the time, but usually the pullet have much more. USUALLY, not always. And you have to take all three traits together, the leg color, the body color, plus the headspot size and shape, not only one or the other, as sex indicators. Even then, you are only about 90% accurate.
No behavioral traits are good for sexing. NONE. No leg kicking, no posturing, no fighting, nothing of that sort is any indicator of sex. I always have pullets who are much braver than any of my cockerels.

 

[allen wranch]

Oh dear, I may have messed up. At the feed store, I picked out the BR chicks with no spot or smallest spot on the head for pullets.

At 4 weeks they have yellow combs and the barring is dark. Am going to check the legs now.

 

[speckledhen]

At the feed store, I picked out the BR chicks with no spot or smallest spot on the head for pullets.

That's correct, Carla. Sometimes they fool you, though. I had one who did recently do just that, too. Had to change his name, LOL.
And whether the spot looks white or more yellowish, I don't think has any bearing on it, as long as there is a spot. Just the shape and size matter.​

 

[allen wranch]

Legs and all toes are black/gray down the front. Comb is turning pink, but no wattles. The Spitz cockerels in with them are already starting to get wattles.

Pretty sure I have Hawkette and Hot Lips.

 

[speckledhen]

Sounds like girls to me, Carla. I had a chick I thought might be a cockerel, just kept me guessing and now, I'm pretty sure it's a pullet. Didn't want to name her Hotlips, so her name is Margaret, LOL.

 

[JillsChicks]

Well, thanks for all your replies. I can now see in Rooster Red's photos that his roosters have almost no tail feathering while his pullet's tail started to feather out sooner. This is what I'm seeing in my chicks. I'm actually excited to get a barred rock rooster - I've read they are very gentlemanly with the girls and not as aggressive toward humans as other breeds.

 

[speckledhen]

I adored my sweet Hawkeye and his sons have been just as wonderful. Right now, I have two little baby sons of his coming along, Dutch and Mace, hopefully along with Zane if he recovers from his injury, and they will be the leaders of this crazy bunch of ladies, some of which are Barred Rocks. Its a great breed and my favorite rooster.

 

[NoSpringChick]

I have 10 Barred Rocks in the bator.....only on Day 4...the suspense is killing me....thanks for the post...it was very helpful

 

[HeatherLynn]

I have read every post available and I still don't know the sex of my barred rocks. Well I think I know but I really want to be wrong.

When I got them at 8 weeks they were already showing barring and had a big yellow spot on the top of their head, little tiny comb that was just a bit pinkish barely, and a black wash down the legs. They are now 14 weeks and my favorite ran up to me in the run and cockel doddle doo'd at me. At which point I ran out of the coop crying cause there is a city ordinance against roosters where I am which is why I paid a ton more for older pullets.

The chicks at 14 weeks all have a fairly good sized comb, some are pink some are so red its not even funny. nice little waddles on all of them. All still have the black wash but some darker than others. I am ready to call the vet and tell him I am bringing in chickens to be sexed. If they are male I have 3 options.

Find them a home.
Eat them. ( I won't be able to)
build an entirely new breeding coop at my parents farm to send the ladies I do have on vacation to when I want chicks.

Any hints. I am totally new to this and am a bit heartbroken. I know one is male. I've never head of a female making that kind of noise. He looked so proud when he stood on my foot and did it too.

 

[Young MacDonald]

HeatherLynn - I think we are in the same boat. I am also reading every thread about Barred Rocks.

I paid for 6 week old "pullets" and I think I got 4 cockerels and 2 pullets. They had small combs on them when I bought them and I asked the woman (I am a novice) about that. She told me it was because they were older than the others. There is one I'm not sure about because it has a comb the size of the suspected males, but it is pinker and doesn't have the wattles like they do. The two sure-pullets have very small combs that aren't even pink - they're more cream color.

Although, I will say for your benefit that mine are supposedly 7 weeks and the combs are not what I would call "tiny" so you are probably in good shape on the majority of yours.