Day old chicks - how many male and female?

[FunClucks]

I just hatched 15 Production Red rooster x Prairie Bluebell Egger and 3 Production Red rooster x Starlight Green Egger chicks. They are one day old. I've marked the ones that are clearly visible. I think 7, 8, and 10 are from the SGE hen. Can you tell from down color whether the chicks will be hens or roosters? I remember something about female and male specific coloring, and I tried to compare to the parent breed chick down colors, but I would just be guessing. Can you guys help me out?

 

[JedJackson]

I don't think these crosses will make sex links, do probably have to wait until they are 6 to 8 weeks of age to start sexing them.

 

[FunClucks]

I don't think these crosses will make sex links, do probably have to wait until they are 6 to 8 weeks of age to start sexing them.

Well darn. I was really hoping that I could at least say the chipmunk ones with the large black wedges on their heads were female, but I guess not. No, they weren't bred to be sex-links, at least not on purpose.

Guess I'll check back with you guys in 6-8 weeks.

Thanks for your reply!!!

 

[Painted Calls]

I don't think these crosses will make sex links, do probably have to wait until they are 6 to 8 weeks of age to start sexing them.

Agreed. They are much too young. 6-8 week update pics are needed.

 

[FunClucks]

Turns out I did actually make some sex-linked chicks, but the differences in down color were very subtle. The white down with black chipmunk stripes turned out to be roosters from my PBB hen that had silver hackle (pic of her attached, also, some pics of the roosters with white hackle and saddle around 4 wks and around 3.5 months). The chicks that had red in their yellow down, some turned out to be male, some female (from a similar looking PBB hen that had gold in hackle instead of silver - chicks from the gold hackle hen were not sex-linked when crossed with Production Red rooster (carrying gold genes)).

My silver hackle hen did not produce any hens.

If I did this again, I'd separate the eggs from each hen better during hatching.