How and when will I know if I have a girl or a boy?

[shelley]

I am the proud mum of a 2 day old lavender pekin bantam

who I hatched im my homemade incubator which wasnt working properly so only one of the 12 eggs hatched. When will I know if its a boy or a girl

and what signs am I looking for? sorry im new to all things chicken.

 

[Plymouthroxgal]

I think the first ones a hen and the second ones a roo because the 2nd one has a red comb

 

[shelley]

Its the same chick in both photos?

 

[Davaroo]

Cute little bugger.

Hard to say for certain with a new chick, so dont set your watch. Usually at about 4 weeks the signs start to appear if its a male. But since you only have the one and no hatch mates to compare it to, it's sort of a crap shoot.

Youll get a lot of advice and opinions, but the truth will come clear soon enough. Be patient.

 

[tiki244]

About 6 weeks I am afraid. It is easier to know if you can compare but in your case that is not possible. You will eventually see the wattles turn color, the sooner the turn the more likely it is a boy, if at 6 weeks the are still pale the more likely it is a girl. At around 6 weeks (in theory) they get the feathers on their hackles and saddles to be able to tell if it is a boy or girl. It is very hard to tell sometimes but if you take just one feather from the hackle at 6 weeks and put it over your finger and examine it closely you will be able to see whether or not it is pointed. BE CAREFUL, because part of the end of the feather is translucent (very light to see through). The females will have a blunt feather and the males will have a point. The point isnt always sharp sharp at that age but the female is blunt. And remember to examine the whole feather for the end of it can be (parts) hard to see.