Gender cues in newly hatched Buff Orps?

[arlee453]

Are there any gender cues for Buff Orps when newly hatched?

Some of my guys have a dark streak on their heads, and others don't. Plus, some of them are a darker color (more reddish) and others are more yellowish.

Do either of these (or something else) help you determine gender, or do I have to wait a while to see if combs/wattles develop early?...

 

[speckledhen]

An old sexing document I found said that the ones with the dark stripe of color down the center of the head are usually female. It worked on my last batch, but I only had three, so not a huge sampling to go by. Here is that text:

RHODE ISLAND REDS
Byerly and Quinn (1936) report that there is some sex difference
in the down of Rhode Island Red chicks. The females
tend to show spots or stripes of darker color in the down on the
head and back. By separating the chicks into groups with and
without spots or stripes sex was identified with 82 percent
accuracy.

The following came from another sexing document I have saved:

The Rhode Island Red and New Hampshire breeds
can be sexed by wing color at hatching, although the
accuracy is reduced by normal color variations. Male
chicks have a white spot in the down over the wing web.
This spot is lost when the chick down is shed and
replaced with second generation feathers.​

 

[hinkjc]

I've never heard of buff orps having stripes on them. I also have yet to find a way to sex them easily. The only one chick I could sex easily crowed at two days old. The rest I wait until about 3-5 weeks until I am sure. Even 3 weeks can be early for slow maturing cockerels.

Jody

 

[msbliss]

Jody, the roo crowed at 2 days old!?

How cute that must have been!

 

[speckledhen]

What is wrong with me today?! I read RIR, not Buff Orp, for some weird reason! Geez. Not enough coffee!!!
Jody, the RIRs from Julie in AL I hatched, at least the girls, even the RIR/Buff Orp cross, had a thin darkish stripe straight down the middle of the head. It was something I'd have missed if I hadn't been looking for it after reading that. But, as the article said, that's not accurate all the time. BUT, a pure Buff Orp won't have that, I'm sure! My two didn't that I recall.

SORRY! Code Delete me today, folks!

 

[hinkjc]

LOL...Cyn, you're ok and I completely understood that you thought the OP meant RIR. But the OP also said something about a dark streak on the chicks, which is what I was really referring to. I have never seen that. It could be they will be a bit dark or dirty buff. But only time will tell..I wouldn't consider it a way to sex them. Of course, you could mark them and find out.

Jody

 

[speckledhen]

I think I'll stop talking now. PUULLEEEZE, ignore me today! I'm not usually this clueless....am I?

Going to look at my chick pics of Sunny and Ginger now....
**Nope, no stripes on the Buff Orps, but in this pic, you can plainly see the stripe on one of my three RIR girls:

 

[peeps7]

It's alright Cynthia, you can sex chicks better than most people.

 

[speckledhen]

I wouldn't say that, not lately. I sold a pullet I thought was a cockerel recently....

 

[peeps7]

Hey, if I have a sexing question you'll still be the first one I go to.