Breed and gender of 1 week old chick?

[jnicholes]

Hi everyone,

I’m not sure if this is possible or not, but I have a 1 week old chick that I’m trying to get the breed and the gender of, and I need some help.

The chick hatched one week ago. We got the fertilized egg from a friend, so we have no idea what the breed is.

I’m also completely inexperienced when it comes to sexing chicks.

Anyway, here are the pictures.

Any help getting the breed and the gender will be appreciated.

Jared

 

[JedJackson]

Too young for gender. Six weeks is a good starting point.

I think I see fluffy cheeks on this one, which might mean it is an Easter egger. But it could by a Leghorn or white Plymouth Rock if my eyes are deceiving me.

 

[jnicholes]

Too young for gender. Six weeks is a good starting point.

I think I see fluffy cheeks on this one, which might mean it is an Easter egger. But it could by a Leghorn or white Plymouth Rock if my eyes are deceiving me.

Thanks for letting me know, I’ll post again in about five weeks.

 

[speckledhen]

If that chick is really only a week old, just know that pullets get their tail feathers first, generally, but unless you have a barred variety where you can sex the chick as soon as it's dry after hatch or sex link hybrid where males and females are different colors at hatch, you'll likely have to wait awhile on both the sex and the breed. Delawares are that color at hatch, but we can't see the comb to judge if it's a single or pea or what. Will be interesting to see.
Maybe if you had a list of the breeds your friend actually keeps, it would give a better clue.

 

[NatJ]

We got the fertilized egg from a friend, so we have no idea what the breed is.

If your friend is breeding purebred chickens, they can probably tell you what breed the chick is.

Otherwise, the chick is most likely a mix of some sort. There are so many chicken breeds, and so many possible mixes, that guessing is almost hopeless. If you have a list of what breeds your friend has (rooster and hens), it might be possible to figure out what pairing produced the chick. But depending on which breeds are present, there might still be too many options to know for sure.

 

[jnicholes]

OK, my friend got back to me and said “we have Amaraucauna hens and a White Leghorn rooster mixed with something else.”

If we’re not able to figure out the breed, that’s OK. It’s the gender that I’m worried about. My mom has trauma from roosters. We don’t want any.

 

[NatJ]

OK, my friend got back to me and said “we have Amaraucauna hens and a White Leghorn rooster mixed with something else.”

If we’re not able to figure out the breed, that’s OK.

With that information, we do know what "breed" the chick is: a mix of the parent breeds. So it could be called a BYM (backyard mix or barnyard mix), or a Leghorn-something-Ameraucana mix.

If it grows up to lay blue or green eggs, it could also be called an Easter Egger (because that refers to any chicken that lays blue or green eggs but does not belong to any specific breed.)

It’s the gender that I’m worried about. My mom has trauma from roosters. We don’t want any.

Unfortunately, it's too early to tell yet. If it starts getting a big red comb in the next month or so, it's a male. If the comb stays small and pale for the next two or three months, it is most likely female. Some chicks grow just enough comb to make everyone worried, then stay that way for what feels like forever before they become obvious one way or the other (those ones are really frustrating!)

If you really need a fast answer, you could try DNA sexing. There are a few companies that do it. For example, https://iqbirdtesting.com/

 

[redinator]

With that information, we do know what "breed" the chick is: a mix of the parent breeds. So it could be called a BYM (backyard mix or barnyard mix), or a Leghorn-something-Ameraucana mix.

If it grows up to lay blue or green eggs, it could also be called an Easter Egger (because that refers to any chicken that lays blue or green eggs but does not belong to any specific breed.)


Unfortunately, it's too early to tell yet. If it starts getting a big red comb in the next month or so, it's a male. If the comb stays small and pale for the next two or three months, it is most likely female. Some chicks grow just enough comb to make everyone worried, then stay that way for what feels like forever before they become obvious one way or the other (those ones are really frustrating!)

If you really need a fast answer, you could try DNA sexing. There are a few companies that do it. For example, https://iqbirdtesting.com/

Slow to mature cockerels and fast maturing pullets are such a pain, lol.