Comb sexing chicks

[SunHwaKwon]

Thinking about it, the easiest/fastest way to gather data for this hypothesis so to look at the beaks of autosexing chicks!

I looked at my chicks this morning and I can't even see combs! They will all probably have pea combs unless any are mixed with Wyandotte. I was thinking this is supposed to be good for day olds but it may be a couple weeks before anything starts to pop up.

 

[Bantu]

Sorry guys I was going to take photos of my adult birds but I came home to a coop full of this.

I was told on another forum it was a hawk. I didn't tell them it was 6 birds killed. Doesn't matter. I'm back at square 1 with 3 chicks( 1 1/2 weeks ) and 4 ( 8 week olds). Have 8 Japanese bantams shipping the 8th, I will post photos of their combs than. My standard breeds won't ship until late May.

IT WILL BE JULY AT THE EARLIEST FOR EGGS!
Flock is now
1 leghorn pullet
1 Leghorn roo
1 black sex link pullet
And Gordo, I have no idea what breed think she might be a New Hampshire.
They're 7-8 weeks
Than I have
1 cochama pullet
1 Cocrnish pullet
1 Cocorck roo. That is if the comb sexing is accurate.( they're Cochin mixes )

Sorry for rambling ,

 

[Bantu]

Here's the newest photos of the babies

Top photo comb passes nostrils
The other 2 it stops at the top.
Still think 1 boy and 2 girls

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Sorry guys I was going to take photos of my adult birds but I came home to a coop full of this.
I was told on another forum it was a hawk. I didn't tell them it was 6 birds killed. Doesn't matter. I'm back at square 1 with 3 chicks( 1 1/2 weeks ) and 4 ( 8 week olds). Have 8 Japanese bantams shipping the 8th, I will post photos of their combs than. My standard breeds won't ship until late May.

IT WILL BE JULY AT THE EARLIEST FOR EGGS!
Flock is now
1 leghorn pullet
1 Leghorn roo
1 black sex link pullet
And Gordo, I have no idea what breed think she might be a New Hampshire.
They're 7-8 weeks
Than I have
1 cochama pullet
1 Cocrnish pullet
1 Cocorck roo. That is if the comb sexing is accurate.( they're Cochin mixes )

Sorry for rambling ,

Bantu-

How terrible!

IME the hawks go for the heads. But over in Arkansas I'm sure you have some different varieties and maybe their MO is different. In any case, I am sorry to hear that.

 

[thlayli]

This is certainly an interesting thread. I got an order of 14 chicks last week, and while I only ordered ONE roo, I wasn't entirely certain which of the little fuzzballs he was. I tried wing sexing, but looking at this thread, and the suspiciously developed comb of two of my chicks, I am either a) wrong about which chick is the cockerel, b) the proud but somewhat ferklempt owner of multiple roos. When I get home from work I'll have to upload some pictures of them and see what y'all think.

 

[Bantu]

The men folk at work say skunk, raccoon and possum. Anyway I am taking over my sisters barn. Need to get the birds enclosed. No free ranging ( saves so much $ on feed ).
Can't wait to check out the combs on the new babies when they get here.

This coop is for them.

 

[Bantu]

This is certainly an interesting thread. I got an order of 14 chicks last week, and while I only ordered ONE roo, I wasn't entirely certain which of the little fuzzballs he was. I tried wing sexing, but looking at this thread, and the suspiciously developed comb of two of my chicks, I am either a) wrong about which chick is the cockerel, b) the proud but somewhat ferklempt owner of multiple roos. When I get home from work I'll have to upload some pictures of them and see what y'all think.

I'm really interested in what you see. If roosters didn't crow I'd have a bunch. Lol
I hope the data we gather can be accurate in sexing chicks at least earlier than before. For me nothing is more disappointing than waking to find a red comb on a favorite pullet that I have grown fond of over the past few weeks.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'm really interested in what you see. If roosters didn't crow I'd have a bunch. Lol
I hope the data we gather can be accurate in sexing chicks at least earlier than before. For me nothing is more disappointing than waking to find a red comb on a favorite pullet that I have grown fond of over the past few weeks.

It's not so much the crowing for me as the stress on the females. I suppose I could someday just have like a whole acre to dedicate to the the chickens, with an old chickenhouse or two to house them in and then have a 1000 lol. Yesterday my husband told me I'm a chicken hoarder, and I only have about 35. He hasn't seen anything yet.

I'm joking anyway. After a certain point I think you lose the ability to really provide good husbandry to the individuals and its more likely that illnesses and injuries and even missing birds will go unnoticed. Along the same lines, I don't understand how people can have like 10 dogs. I start feeling neglectful just trying to divide my attention between our two.

Anyway, I took comb pics yesterday and I thought I posted them last night but I must not have submitted it. I would love a second opinion on them, anyway, since I am finding the baby peas hard to interpret.

 

[mandelyn]

I'll need to pay attention to this nostril thing next batch! I've always used the comb as a guide at hatch, and typically I have a 90% success rate. My last batch at hatch looked to be 16 males and 18 females of various different breeds/crosses, and the result was 14 males and 20 females. This batch was EEs, Orpingtons, Isa Browns, 1 Brahma cross who popped out of the egg looking very male, he was easy. Now he's the biggest one of the batch!

Rose combs have always been easiest for me, especially bantams like Seabrights.

The batch before I picked chicks from a bin, didn't get to see them at hatch and some were almost 2 weeks old. I chose 5 and 3 were male. So wrong! LOL

I have 30 chicks coming in March, 1 breed is autosexing. I can't wait!

 

[thlayli]

@Bantu

We live a little removed from more developed areas -- it's still only about 10 minutes to the store, but where we are is up in a mountain surrounded by trees. Our neighbors magically acquired some hens and a few roosters in the last two weeks (seriously, it went from no chickens to every morning a rooster is crowing, so they MUST have gotten them full-grown from somewhere) that they free-range. I mostly wanted a roo because of any predators the chickens might face when I let them out of their run, and since I got a mixed bag of chicks if i get more than one cockerel I can choose which one will work as the best Flock Protector General. If this comb sexing works it will be awesome!