How Can I Tell If My Chick Is A Rooster?

[IvysAnimals]

hiiii ! I have 13 chicks that I incubated and are currently raising for my friend... She want's them when they're around 5-7 weeks of age and they're already turning 2 weeks on April 23, 2022 - tomorrow. She want's to know how many males or females there are so she knows if she want's to hatch more. I have 3-4 chicks that I think are roosters. I know that you can do the wing/feather test, crown test, monitoring the behavior, Voice/sounds, Vent, ( I'm not doing that because I know it's dangerous and for professionals only ) the arched tail, just waiting, feet size, and more.... The breeds I was given to raise were Rhode Island red, Leghorn, and Black Maran.

Here are what her birds are:

Black Maran - 1 - Hen
Rhode Island Red - ( don't know the specific amount ) - Hens
Leghorn - 1 - the only Rooster



She only has 1 Maran so she gave me 3 of her eggs and they all hatched but there was only 2 black babies... one was a cross between her Maran and her Leghorn, I think I also have more possible mixes when their feathers start coming up. The chicks colors are a mix of everything. There's 1 full black, 1 black with white spot on head, a couple fully white, 3 more prominent Rhode Island Reds, 1 Black Maran x Leghorn speckled - lightly dotted mix, and some that are a very light Rhode Island Red and Leghorn mix like they can come out as a cream'e colour.
I think I have at least 1 of each breed that are showing signs of a definite roo. The one full Black Maran is getting the arched tail, troubled / bold behavior, and he's standing up to the others like he's the boss. I also have 1 Leghorn that is acting the same way just without the tail, maybe a dominate female? I have 1 Rhode Island Red that is acting the same as the other two and the possible roo's are starting to challenge each other, as well. I would put my hand ( The kiddie pool I have them in that gives them more room than other brooders I found without being outside.) in the brooder and General George, The possible Black Maran rooster, would run over and stand tall, look me in the eyes, peck my hand, jump on my hand / jumping towards me, and then chase the others... But 2 seconds later he would snuggle with me on my neck... I love his little roostertude ( rooster attitude ) as a small little chick, he can't help it, it's in his DNA and that's ( maybe he got it from his dads aggressiveness ) how a rooster acts. I'm not sure about any of the parents because I've never met them before. So I don't know their behavior or anything. Can anyone help me identify them better?


* I'll edit this later to get some better pictures of them *

Them in the sink was just for them to drink, i know they're not waterfowl or bathe in water

 

[AmeraucanaHank]

I can't tell, the light is too dark.

 

[NatJ]

I would not be confident of any genders at present, unless you got a DNA test done.

But within a few weeks, you will probably be able to sort them into two groups: definitely male, and maybe female.

The definite males will have combs & wattles that are obviously bigger and redder.

The pullets will continue to have small pale combs for a while. But a few sneaky males may also have small pale combs for a while. So it might be several months before you can be quite sure about the females.

Here are what her birds are:

Black Maran - 1 - Hen
Rhode Island Red - ( don't know the specific amount ) - Hens
Leghorn - 1 - the only Rooster

With that mix, none of the chicks can be sexed by color or by rate of feathering.

Considering the colors of the chicks, I do not think the father was a pure White Leghorn. I think the father himself is a mix of some sort. (The father's breed doesn't matter very much in this case. With those mothers, The chicks still cannot be sexed by color, no matter what breed or mix the father is.)

 

[theoldchick]

https://cs-tf.com/how-to-sex-chickens/

 

[NatJ]

https://cs-tf.com/how-to-sex-chickens/

That article has a problem: wing sexing (feather sexing) only works on some chicks.

(The article does have a link to a correct source, that says "Not all chicks can be feather sexed." But the article itself implies that feather sexing works on all chicks, which is wrong.)