Guess ?? 4 weeks Hens or Roos ??

[kbreak]

Do roosters get more tail feathers first ? My chicks are 4 weeks old. Informed my husband today he's gonna have to build me a small coop and run for these chicks and momma cause I am not putting them in the pen with the other chickens. I don't like this pecking order !!

 

[nurse_turtle]

At 4 weeks, I think they may all be boys. Boys usually get tail feathers slower than hens but only if they hatched within the same 12-14 hours time span.

 

[kbreak]

Quote:
They hatched probably within 14 hours. I have one that doesn't have much tail feathers. Will be sad if they all roosters.

 

[wbruder17]

They don't look like roos to me. I look for pinker, larger combs, and those combs, except for the one, look pretty yellow to me so far, which is a good sign.

 

[kbreak]

Quote:
These are my first chicks so I don't know much !! My family has laughed at me cause this is all I do is stay on this site, reading and learning all I can. Our hen that free ranged (was basically wild) set on 11 eggs at the base of a tree and hatched out 6 eggs. We caught her and chicks at night and now have them in a small coop my husband bulit and nest in small pet taxi. I am loving it. ADDICTED !! told my husband I want an incubator for christmas. That also means he has to build me a brooder and another coop and run. I don't think he knows what he got himself into. LOL ! Hoping they aren't all roos, cause I dont want to have to get rid of all of them.

 

[DMRippy]

Quote:
x2

 

[wbruder17]

I've raised and hatched many many chicks, and feel I've gotten pretty good at picking out the roos. I've been right on all of them so far... I've got Silkie mix babies right now, and silkies are notoriously hard to sex until the crow or lay an egg. But they are mixed with my D'Uccle, and I knew he was a rooster in the 2nd week, so we will see about these newbies.

 

[branston]

I just can't tell a roo until it crows! I have 17 7 week old chicks and two have just started to crow, one has a very pale comb the other is slightly pinkish. My other chickens, hatched in April, 15 and we ended up with 9 roosters. The roos started crowing one by one but much later at 16 - 20 weeks. I had my suspicions on those guys, thicker legs than the hens and green tail feathers. It's hard, that's for sure!

 

[Bantam Username]

Think the fourth pic may be a roo (note the really thick legs), the third pic looks like a girl and I'm not sure about the other two.

Longer thicker legs and bigger feet and also pinkening of the comb are all really good indications of a roo. Smaller, yellower comb and shorter more slender legs normally are pullets. Compare them all and it'll soon become obvious. These are the things that its easiest to look out for in most breeds. Good luck.