How Accurate Is Feather Sexing?

[ILikeBirds]

Telling the sex of maturing chickens by their feathers works. Look at the hackles, neck feathers, a rooster's are more pointed, Saddle feathers, between and behind the wings, are longer, The tails feathers are more arched in a rooster and a hens are folded in an inverted v. Because cockerels mature faster then pullets their combs and wattles develop sooner as well. The pictures you posted don't give me enough of the relevant feathers to see. Since they are crosses the combs at that age don't help me.

Here are two picture I just took think might be a little better. These are the two birds that I am most suspicious about.





Here's a pic of most of them in general (ignore the two RIR's)

 

[1muttsfan]

Feather sexing chicks, as said above, can only be done reliably in chicks where rapid feathering rooster and a slow feathering hen are crossed. Generally RIR are slow feathering, although there is a small possibility of this not being true in an individual bird. Polish I am not sure about.

http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/

She may have considerable experience looking at how her young birds develop, both comb and feathers - some youngsters are obvious from the start, others not until they crow or lay an egg.

 

[satay]

Here are two picture I just took think might be a little better. These are the two birds that I am most suspicious about. Here's a pic of most of them in general (ignore the two RIR's)

Top pic is a definate rooster. The second pic looks like one too. See in the first picture you can see the tail... That's a rooster.

 

[ILikeBirds]

Top pic is a definate rooster. The second pic looks like one too. See in the first picture you can see the tail... That's a rooster.

I can't say I'm shocked, looks like she's going to need a new name! Now that I think back "she" has always been the bravest of the seven, makes a little more sense now. Thanks for the help.

Feather sexing chicks, as said above, can only be done reliably in chicks where rapid feathering rooster and a slow feathering hen are crossed. Generally RIR are slow feathering, although there is a small possibility of this not being true in an individual bird. Polish I am not sure about.

http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/

She may have considerable experience looking at how her young birds develop, both comb and feathers - some youngsters are obvious from the start, others not until they crow or lay an egg.

Thanks for the link, I'll have to add that to my favorites. looks like she didn't have to much experience because it looks like I probably have a couple roosters.

It's actually good news though because I wanted at least one rooster, hopefully they can stand each other.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Telling the sex of maturing chickens by their feathers works. Look at the hackles, neck feathers, a rooster's are more pointed, Saddle feathers, between and behind the wings, are longer, The tails feathers are more arched in a rooster and a hens are folded in an inverted v. Because cockerels mature faster then pullets their combs and wattles develop sooner as well. The pictures you posted don't give me enough of the relevant feathers to see. Since they are crosses the combs at that age don't help me.

Absolutely true - but that is not "feather sexing" by definition of the actual process used in place of vent sexing, autosexing, sex linking, etc - which is why I asked what the "feather sexing" process that the seller used was

 

[heddinn]

Here's a picture of my buff Orpingtons

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Here's a picture of my buff Orpingtons

Three handsome fellows.

 

[rc4u]

on normal feathered chickens . not polish or silkies type...at 4-7 weeks the tail and wing feathers on hens are usually always longer...on roos they tail and wing feathers are shorter....then it starts to change when older...

 

[ILikeBirds]

on normal feathered chickens . not polish or silkies type...at 4-7 weeks the tail and wing feathers on hens are usually always longer...on roos they tail and wing feathers are shorter....then it starts to change when older...

I was ting a look at my mixed birds (polish, RIR) again and they all have long tails, I'm sure their hens. It's been almost ten weeks, they would be crowing if they were roosters right?