Getting chicks for the first time.

[4Crazychickens4me]

Ok so we have 4 girls right now and we are go g to get some chicks soon. My question is how can you tell if they are hens or roosters?

 

[Folly's place]

Some breeds can be sexed at hatching by feather color. Most can't, unless examined by an expert 'sexer' at a good hatchery. Chicks at a feed store might be accurately sexed in 'pullet bins', or not.
Mary

 

[ChickenLover5912]

What kind are you getting?

 

[4Crazychickens4me]

What kind are you getting?

Not sure. Thinking barred rocks. Ameraucanas. Golden reds? Something that’s good in cold weather and good layers?

 

[Folly's place]

So many choices! Are you ordering from a hatchery, or going with the feed store bins?
Mary

 

[4Crazychickens4me]

So many choices! Are you ordering from a hatchery, or going with the feed store bins?
Mary

Not sure yet. Our local tractor supply has them in but agency ee can order and there are more choices with the I’m a little nervous with chicks. When we got the other girls we inherited them from the neighbors and they were already a year old.

 

[ChickenLover5912]

You’ll do great! I bought some chicks from TSC last year and love them! They were healthy and I got mixed bantams and raised them and they’re so sweet they eat out of my hand and aren’t afraid of people! I love raising my own chicks because they’re more friendly towards people! This is my TSC flock... and I absolutely LOVE light brahmas!

 

[azygous]

Your best bet, if you want maximum accuracy in sexing, is to choose breeds that can be color-sexed at hatch. These include Welsummers, Cream Legbars, Cuckoo Marans, Black Copper Marans, Dominiques, Partridge Penedesencas, Salmon Favorolles, and the Sex-links (Golden Comets and Red Sex-links, Red Stars, and Black Stars.)

I've had good luck persuading independent feed store owners to order special breeds. Corporate chains, forget it.

However, here's a disclaimer - nothing is 100% accurate. I ordered Cream Legbar pullets and got one that had all the color markings of a pullet to have it develop into a lovely little cockerel. This cockerel is now my main rooster, and I now have another cockerel from eggs he fertilized that hatched a chick that had all the color markings of a pullet.

So my advice to you is to be prepared to have a plan to deal with unexpected cockerels. You will be able to discern males at around three to four weeks as the combs begin to become pronounced and to take on color. The males will have more yellow to the comb compared to females having no color. By age six weeks, the yellow has gone through changes from yellow-orange to red orange, while females remain colorless.

 

[rosemarythyme]

However, here's a disclaimer - nothing is 100% accurate. I ordered Cream Legbar pullets and got one that had all the color markings of a pullet to have it develop into a lovely little cockerel.

x2 - Hatchery Welsummers also fall under the color-sexing-not-accurate catagory, as I'd selected a very "obvious" female that turned out to be male.