behaviour/gender question

[Cocotte]

My two EE chicks are just 5 days old, but I've noticed some differences in their behaviours.

The yellow one started 'scratching' yesterday -- if I have them out on some newspapers to play/hang out with me, the yellow one will hunch down low and scratch her feet, like she's trying to be a big girl scratching for food

The Spotty one doesn't do that. They will both peck the ground and rub their beaks back and forth on the ground.

The spotty one tends to stand up straighter and taller, and the yellow one will come near me and lay down while the spotty one comes over too and stays standing up. They both like to peck each others' toes. The spotty one is a bit bigger.

I got them from the feed store, they're supposed to be female (with 90% accuracy). Do they both sound like typical little girl chickies?

 

[LarryPQ]

They sound like chicks. Little tiny ones.

Behavior is a poor indicator of gender at that age.

 

[Illia]

Behavior is not a gender indicator at that age - They're just doing chick stuff.

However, I'll say now that the dark one with marbling is a guaranteed pullet.

 

[LarryPQ]

Yeah, the both look girly to me, too.

 

[seminolewind]

I think behavior is a great indicator- as long as you spend alot of time with chicks as they grow, for a month or so. I would also mark them so you know what your guess is. Also take into consideration the thickness of the legs, who feathers in the fastest, who's comb grows faster.

 

[Cocotte]

Quote:
Really?? How come? (Glad to hear it!)


I guess I'm not too worried that they'll end up being boys, 90% is pretty good odds.

They are so funny to watch, especially that little scratch-step the one is doing -- it makes it look like her feet are just too big for the rest of her!

 

[Cocotte]

Quote:
These are the only two we have, so I don't have any others to compare them too. I keep looking at their legs and feathers, and their legs look the same thickness to me, and the spotty one started getting teeny tail feathers 2 days before the yellow one did.