Can you sex Delaware chicks? Pictures included!

[pattgal]

Ok so My chicks are about 2 weeks old and I notice some definite color differences
Since the hen is almost all white and the roo has more black all through the wings and neck is it safe to assume my pale chicks are hens?
this was them at one week old, what do you think?

 

[mama24]

no, you need to wait until they start getting the feathers between their wings. girls will be white while boys will have a lot of black.

 

[MareeZoCool]

I agree with you. I'd say the roo is bigger, and has the markings on his wings. In a few more weeks, the roo should start showuing red on his comb, and wattles.( those flaps at his jaws)

 

[mama24]

Delaware hens have black in their wings, too. I couldn't tell mine apart until they were a few weeks older. I wouldn't count on color sexing working until they're older.

 

[speckledhen]

Too early. Most males have lots of "smut" down their backs, much more than the pullets. Of course, by about 4 weeks, most are no longer a mystery.


Here is a 3 week old Del cockerel so you can see the smut, plus the big comb:

Delaware pullets:

 

[pattgal]

Quote:
About half of mine look like your cockerel in the first photo. the pullet in the second photo looks fully feathered in. is she the same age
So the all get that smut on the back of their necks? Just males more than females?
I have one that is about 4-5 weeks old and it has solid black feathers on the end of its wings does that mean it's a Roo?

 

[mama24]

No, Delaware hens are supposed to have black wing tips, too. If it has feathers between the wings, and they are nearly all white (with some dark gray), it's likely a pullet. If there's a lot of black, then it's a cockeral. If there are no feathers between the wings, it's too early to tell for sure.

 

[sheila3935]

The only Delaware I have ever had was a roo and at 2 weeks he was a boy. His comb was a little bigger but he had THICK legs and was gangly looking. He stood straight all the time with his neck stretched out. He was a very good rooster. Really good to his girls. Wish I would have kept him and got rid of my BSL instead.

 

[speckledhen]

The pullet I posted is about a week older, but you can see her color there. Both sexes have black in the wings in varying degrees so you cannot go by that. The speckling/smut down the back between the shoulders is pretty much a male trait, though it's not always 100%. Some males will not have that much and some females will have a tad more than usual. The girls can even have thick legs--my Tasha sure did and still does.

 

[pattgal]

Ok so here is the newest pictures I have of them

Roo?

Pullet??