Chicks almost 3 weeks old--can anyone tell me which are hens and which are roos by their tail feathe

[LindaChek]

We have seven Orpington (daddy is buff, mamas are both buff and black) chicks that are 18 days old, and I have definitely separated them into two camps. Two of the chicks have a defined "duck's tail" of well-defined feathers that points straight out from their tail, while five of them have less developed, almost stubby feathers that seem to be growing in straight up.

Can anyone tell me (or make an educated guess) which is which? The first pic is the full tail, the second is the shorter tail, and the third is one of each. Thanks!

 

[Cyan Night]

They're still pretty young, but it's been my experience that the boys feather in slower, especially in the tail area. So if I had to guess, and if they're all the same age, I'd say your boys are the ones with less developed tails.

 

[WildWestChick]

They're still pretty young, but it's been my experience that the boys feather in slower, especially in the tail area. So if I had to guess, and if they're all the same age, I'd say your boys are the ones with less developed tails.

X2, also the 2nd pic down..that chick looks to be deeper buff/tan than the 1st one. And it looks like it has a larger comb as well.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Using tail length to sex chicks is pretty inaccurate. You can make guesses, but that's it. I have had far more boys feather in exactly the same as the girls; out of the hundreds of chicks I've hatched/raised, I can think of only two EEs that feathered in more slowly than the others but five or six pullets that were the slow ones.

So you can guess right now, but please don't act on the information and cull any birds or anything until you know for sure.

 

[mlrod1914]

They are too young to tell. At least I certainly can't tell this young.

 

[BantamLover21]

It is too young to tell for sure, but slow feathering can be a sign of a cockerel. I'd post new photos when they are at least six weeks old.