Can you tell sex by saddle feathers?

[Tuffoldhen]

I agree with gritsar on the sexing of your Lights...

 

[mekasmom]

I don't mean to sound stupid...... But what is a saddle feather? I have a bunch of astralorpes that were supposed to be hens, but some have started crowing. I would love to be able to sort them. At least one is laying and more than one are crowing.

Also-- my frizzle rooster hates some of the astralorpes. I assume that means they are roos? To try to sort them, we have just been picking them up and taking them to Friz. If he pecks them, we assume they are roos? If he doesn't react, we have assumed they were hens? Will that work to sex them?

 

[klf73]

saddle feathers are the feathers right in front of the tail
this pic may be easier to tell, see the light feathers right in front of the tail? It's easier when the whole chicken isn't the same color...

 

[wionna1202]

Ok, this is a very interesting thread. I am such a newbe. I got 2 adults chickens, (1 roo, 1 hen). So I wanted more, Got 2 older chicks, Think they are both hens. ( but now i question my Polish)

So, I still wanted more. Went to TSC food, and fell in love with the day old chicks there got 6 more. Now we are 9 weeks into it, and I am thinking, I have too many ROOS!

What do I do?

I know one of the 6 chicks is a Roo. He has a tiny crow that he keeps trying to make. Just can't come out. I thought he had a girl friend, the golden Seabright. But now I think She is a He.

I know my Barred Rock is a girl, just don't have the tail, and wattles others have, One of the "unknown breeds" is looking more like a roo everyday. the other is still in question. The golden colored chick hasn't even started forming a tail, so she has to be a hen. CAN SOME ONE HELP!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=31891

 

[26chickens]

Saddle feathers are actually the feathers on the back before the tail feathers. You can also look at the hackle feathers on the neck of them, roos have pointed feathers here & the hens will have rounded ones. My neighbor & myself have fun trying to figure out the sex as they grow up. I found out this helpful fact in the 2009 McMurray Hatchery description of bantam Seabrights (which are the exception to the rule for roosters).

We ordered all pullet chicks last summer from Estes Hatchery & they have a 90% accuracy on sexing. We had 29 chicks & 3 were roosters, so they were pretty accurate. It's very disappointing to get so many roosters. Another neighbor of mine purchased 2 light brahmas at 2 or 3 months old & they both turned out to be roos. Oddly enough, I've also found that when you have more than one young roo, the others will not be dominate & do not crow (false hope

LOL)!!!

Certain breeds can also be sexed as day olds by their pin feathers. Google it from discovery channel I think it was.

 

[Bring]

Quote:
Agreed

 

[chickenlittle32]

Wow, this is an old post...

 

[evonne]

i'm posting this becasue someone else posted a pic of the feathers, and this one of my roo makes it very easy to see the pointy feathers too...

 

[peepsthebrassy]

Can a hen have pointy short sattile fethers?

I have a hen/roo that has short pointy sattile feathers along with hen like round ones and dances.

When I had it by itself it crowed until I put other roos in with it.

Then it tyred to dominate them they told it other wise and it stopped fighting in no time.

The roos I put in with it have curvy tales and long narrow Settile feahters and are a mounth younger.

So I thought if it was a boy it would show buy now right?

Sence my other 5 boys started to show at 3 mounths

he/she is about 5 months old