Getting new chicks tonight

[Naughty]

Okay - age ol question... I am going to look at some chicks tonight - person has no clue about gender - thinks most are barred rocks and mixed breeds - they are about 4-5 weeks old.

I know there are no guarantees - but what are some traits that I might want to look for to try to get mostly hens at that age? Since I really want pets - I will be mostly looking for ones that come to people - but wondering if there might be somethings to look for? Would love all input!

 

[Happy Chooks]

Do not pick ANYTHING with pink in the comb. Go for the ones with small combs and NO PINK. At 4-5 weeks, most breeds would be pretty easy to see the difference.

 

[Luke0987654321]

Quote:
ditto.


luke.

 

[Naughty]

Thanks - I will remember that! I am planning to try for chicks that will come to me - figure they will be already friendly - I love barred rocks - and would be okay with one roo - just don't want to do a road trip and come back with 10 of them!

Some of them are mixed breeds - so cross your fingers for me - the lady is selling them for $2 and I hope she's not trying to get rid of her roos by claiming she doesnt know the gender

 

[donrae]

By this age, have barred rocks lost the headspot that tells boy or girl? I really don't know if they'll still have it or not. But a big yellow-white spot on the head is a boy, a small, tight spot is a girl. Or, if she had BR hens with other roos, chicks with solid black heads should be sex-link females. And yes, nothing with any red or dark pink in the comb. I'd look for more submissive chicks vs friendlier, pullets are supposed to be more submissive. Good luck and let us know what you get.........if you post pics we'll take a stab at sex, and breed on the mixes.

 

[Katy]

By that age they should be feathered out enough to tell the cockerals from the pullets. The BR cockerals will be much lighter in color than the pullets which should be pretty dark.

 

[Katy]

Oh....and remember to quarentine them so you don't introduce any diseases to your other birds.

 

[Naughty]

i already have a quarantine area for them -

thanks for the reminder

Thanks for some of the signs to look for! I had barred rocks when I was younger and I absolutely love those big chickens and the ones I had were soooooo sweet.

 

[Naughty]

well chicken math attacked me again!

I was planning on just getting a couple of barred rocks - 3 or 4 at the most


The lady had a coop full of fully feathered out - 2 month old birds.... she had Buffs, RIRs, Barred rocks, and some mixed breeds.... I ended up taking 8 birds home with me! $2 a piece - it was a good deal

There were many there so I sure hoped the ones I got end up being hens - They were feathered out enough to tell the difference in a couple of them - but not an expert here so

I ended up with 2 Buffs, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 that are dark red - a mix I'm pretty sure, and 2 that look like easter eggers.... 8 birds - just a few more than I planned lol - but since there was only 4 breeds - i figure that only counts as 4 chickens.

I am a happy camper... got them all in their own lil cage for now - bit it's where the others can hear them and see them .... so they can get used to them before I introduce em

 

[Happy Chooks]

Congrats!