Brown leghorn chicks, how to tell gender at a few days old

[FrahmChicks217]

I keep seeing conflicting information on if or how to tell what sex brown leghorn chicks are. Does anyone know how? I bought 15 from a neighbor but he had no idea how to tell them apart.

 

[JedJackson]

When they're that young you can't really tell them apart. Some say a thicker and longer eye stripe on the down will indicate a female.

When they start to feather in, black feathers on the breast is a sign of a male. Females should have salmony colored breast feathers. This is reliable in a big majority of cases but no method is foolproof.

 

[FrahmChicks217]

When they're that young you can't really tell them apart. Some say a thicker and longer eye stripe on the down will indicate a female.

When they start to feather in, black feathers on the breast is a sign of a male. Females should have salmony colored breast feathers. This is reliable in a big majority of cases but no method is foolproof.

Will the females still get the tail feathers in before the males? This is my first time doing straight run. In the past I've never had roos. Cause so far 11 out of the 15 brown leghorns have tail feathers coming in.

 

[JedJackson]

Will the females still get the tail feathers in before the males? This is my first time doing straight run. In the past I've never had roos. Cause so far 11 out of the 15 brown leghorns have tail feathers coming in.

No, that's not a good indicator of gender. It just means that some chicks develop faster than others.

I've had bad experiences buying straight run, but I hope yours is better.