gender trait question...

[mudpaw]

ok, something is bugging me. I known some people to id a roo by looking for spur buds, but is this always a reliable way to tell the gender? I have EE chicks and they all have a tiny bud there (please don't say that means they are all roosters

)

 

[Goose and Fig]

Roosters won't have full-fledged spurs until they are several months. you will have crowing, comb development, and hackle feathers long before spurs.Don't worry about it!

 

[chickendude]

Mudpaw, all chicks have tiny bumps where the spurs will grow on a rooster. So don't cry just yet.

 

[weaveagarden]

Quote:
More than half of my 20 female chickens (female so far) have spur bumps. Many of the 16 males seem to be developing the starts of a bigger bump. They are 3+ months old right now.... Other indicators are determining gender. But I have to admit the EEs are still leaving me wondering. I hear it may take 6 months or more sometimes with them. But I do have one that has a much darker red comb and is obviously a male in his behavior.

 

[cthrash1]

And some females of certain breeds will grow spurs... My Pheonix/game mix has spurs forming at about 1/2 inch long right now.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Spur bumps are no more reliable at determining gender of a chicken than nipples are for determining the sex of a baby mammal.

They ALL have them.

 

[mudpaw]

thanks everyone! That is so good to know! I guess I'm just hoping too hard for mostly pullets (any roosters will have to be re-homed). I guess I've got quite a while before I see even an inkling of gender differences popping up.