How can you tell the sex of chickens?

[Buffychicken62]

I have 7 Plymouth Barred Rock and considering they all have comb and wattle dies that mean they are roosters?
What's the trick to tell which ones are hens..

 

[NatJ]

I have 7 Plymouth Barred Rock and considering they all have comb and wattle dies that mean they are roosters?
What's the trick to tell which ones are hens..

If they crow, they are males.
If they lay eggs, they are females.

Males and females will both have combs and wattles.
The combs and wattles on males are usually bigger and redder than on females, and become noticeable at an earlier age.

Adult males will have long, narrow feathers on their saddles and hackles. Hackles are at the base of the neck, and saddle feathers grow from the back (where a saddle would go), and hang down on each side. Those feathers usually start growing around age 2 to 3 months. A hen's feathers in those areas are shaped about the same as her other feathers: rounded ends, not unusually long, not usually hanging down.

There are a few color patterns that are gender-specific, although most colors can appear on both genders.


Note: that covers most chickens. There are some exceptions to almost all of those.
--some females can crow, but it is fairly rare
--some breeds grow larger combs & wattles than others, so comparing size between birds of different breeds may not work
--"hen-feathered" males grow the same kind of feathers that hens do, in shape, size, and color. (They are fairly rare.)
--females with hormone problems can grow feathers in shapes and colors that males normally do. (They are quite rare.)

I've been saying "male" and "female" because there are different terms for each gender, depending on their age:
--cockerels (less than 1 year old) grow into roosters (also called cocks)
--pullets (less than 1 year old) grow into hens

 

[WhySayWhat]

The sickle shaped tail feathers on both the barred chickens in your photo point to male as well...roosters (males) have very "showy" tail feathers while hens (females) generally don't, they're more just "fluffy butts".

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So if he is not a Plymouth Barred Rock, what is he? Could he be a Dominique?

Oops, never mind, wrong comb type for a Dom.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

So if he is not a Plymouth Barred Rock, what is he? Could he be a Dominique?

Nope, wrong skin color and comb type. Due to the what appears to be single barring, he's probably a mix. He could potentially be a result of a black sex link cross, but not really anyway to know for sure.

 

[Buffychicken62]

Males.

All my roosters went to a new home today so I'll try to learn with the next batch that hatch out. I appreciate all the help!! Thank you!

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I have 7 Plymouth Barred Rock and considering they all have comb and wattle dies that mean they are roosters?
What's the trick to tell which ones are hens..

Can you post photos of all your chickens?
They are not Plymouth Rocks, by the way.

 

[Iluveggers]

If you post individual pics of the birds in question along with their ages, there’s lots of members who can tell you what they are.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

The chicken in the front of picture was one I was referring to..
I also have some grey, orange, white, and black ones but the ones that are confusing me are the speckly black and white ones. Lol
I'll have to get more pics tomorrow!

It’s still not a Plymouth Barred rock. Lol.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

I have 7 Plymouth Barred Rock and considering they all have comb and wattle dies that mean they are roosters?
What's the trick to tell which ones are hens..

All the birds in this photo are male, by the way. All 3.