help

[cool chicken]

how old do chicks have to be before you know if its a hen or a rooster

 

[Dawn419]

Hi and Welcome to BYC!

I think it depends alot on what breed of chicken it is, as far as being able to tell the difference in their genders.

I've had twoEaster Egger chicks than I knew were males because of their larger, redder combs and wattles at just over 3 weeks old. My Silver Spangled Hamburg roo was the same way.

Then I had the Black Tailed Buff Japanese...was sure I had a pair as one of them had much larger, redder wattles and comb than the other one. At around 13 weeks old they both began crowing.

Then you have Silkies, which to me, were the hardest to figure out. It was basically wait until it either crows or lays an egg and then I'll know for sure.

Well, I hope this has been some help and I'm sure other members will come along and post their experiences.


Dawn

 

[JenMT]

I just recently asked this same question...most of my responses said about 4 weeks of age for newbies like us to tell if we have roos or not. Lots of more experienced owners said you could tell by the length of the wing feathers as they come in or some people can tell from from birth. Mine are 3 weeks old and out of 7 chicks I think that I have 4 roos and 3 chicks. On one of the boys it is very obvious and has been for about a week. His comb is much redder and more developed than everyone elses, he stands much taller, his legs are shorter and thicker and he bosses everyone else around. I will look for my thread on this. Good luck to and your new chicks.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=152630u and your chicks!