how can I tell a hen from a rooster

snixter3

In the Brooder
10 Years
Feb 17, 2009
36
0
22
I have 2 silver wyandotte chicks about 5 weeks old. They look the same except for there "top not" ( can't remember the name of it) one is flatter and redder than the other one. Could one of them be a male? I should mention that one of them was attacked by the other hens when I had them in the brooder, my daughter swears it's a male and the girls were just picking on him. I have tried sexing it to see if i could tell, I can't.....is there any other way to tell wether it's a boy or girl? Any info, would be appreciated. Thanks
 
I look for spur buds on their legs and check the wings. You can also check the feathers on the "bow" of the wing... hen wings will be fully feathered; the bow of a rooster wing will be bare.

When startled, pullets will tend to squat down. Roosters, on the other hand, instinctively stand erect and make warning chirps.

Kathy in Texas
www.CountryChickens.com
 
Continue to watch for pointy feathers on the neck and saddle areas also. And his comb will get red faster then the hens will and of course larger. He will also make little clucks at the ground telling the hen to come and eat.

ETA hens have little spur buds too (just nothing will grow out of them) The male spurs won't grown for some time...possibly about 8 months or more. It's hard to tell by the spurs most times I've noticed.
 
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If you can post a picture that will be very helpful for everyone. All chicks have the little bumps on the insides of their legs, pullets and cockerals. Cockerals do not get their spurs til 8, 9 months or longer.

Lots of Wyandotte owners so someone should be able to tell you what you have.
 
Just pull up their little tails and check the plumbing!
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it's the top 2 pictures that i think may be a rooster, it has the little red things under it's beak too.
 
SLW in the first photo -could be- a roo. When their combs and wattles start getting prominent and red at that age, it is usually the first sign of a roo.

HOWEVER a word of caution here, people have been know to be wrong about sexing on here. We are human and fallible after all. So use your own best judgement when deciding the fate of your possible roo.

For comparison here is a photo of one of my SLW that hatched Valentines Day:

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I am pretty sure mine is a hen.
 
I am actually hoping one of them is a rooster. I got 10 chicks total and was told they were all female. I had planned on getting a male when I got the hens, but the guy didn't have any. I reckon i will need to wait and see when he starts crowing, I will know for sure
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