How soon can you identify male chick?

[Aocskasy]

Hello everyone. I’m new to chickens so I apologize if this is a basic question but how soon is it possible to tell a rooster from a hen? I have a mixed flock of seven chicks between 2-3 weeks old. 2 Plymouth rocks, 2 Easter Eggers, 2 buff Brahmas, and 1 buff Orpington. One of my Easter Eggers is considerably larger than the other chicks already and always seems to be stirring them up. Is this normal or could it be I ended up with a male chick (90% chance of females where I purchased)?? I got the chicks for my daughter for the eggs but she is already so attached. They are basically her babies but where I live we are not allowed to keep roosters so if I need to get rid of it the sooner the better.

 

[The Chick Addict]

Hello everyone. I’m new to chickens so I apologize if this is a basic question but how soon is it possible to tell a rooster from a hen? I have a mixed flock of seven chicks between 2-3 weeks old. 2 Plymouth rocks, 2 Easter Eggers, 2 buff Brahmas, and 1 buff Orpington. One of my Easter Eggers is considerably larger than the other chicks already and always seems to be stirring them up. Is this normal or could it be I ended up with a male chick (90% chance of females where I purchased)?? I got the chicks for my daughter for the eggs but she is already so attached. They are basically her babies but where I live we are not allowed to keep roosters so if I need to get rid of it the sooner the better.

You can usually tell by physical signs like crowing and the size of the comb and color and shape of the feathers. Check his comb, is it bigger than the other chicks? From how you describe him, he sounds like he could be a cockerel. It could also be pullet growing into a lead hen and trying to get higher into the pecking order.

 

[NagemTX]

I was able to tell at 4 to 5 weeks with comb and wattle changes. Sometimes it takes longer tho.

 

[nuthatched]

Depending on the bird, 3 to 8 weeks. Usually. There are some times late bloomers.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It's probably too early to tell, but you could post pics of your two Easter Eggers, it's possible someone here might be able to help you.

 

[Aocskasy]

It's probably too early to tell, but you could post pics of your two Easter Eggers, it's possible someone here might be able to help you.

It’s tough to get good pictures of them but these are the best I could do. The lighter one on top of the feeder is the one bigger than the rest. The darker one is considerably smaller.

 

[BurbMum]

We had two Easter Eggers and one turned out to be a roo. Scooby had to get sent back to the ‘gentlemen’s club’ at Dare2Dream farms, but we still miss him.

The things I noticed in him that I saw online listed as early indications of cockerels in EE:
-any pink under the beak in the waddle area at 3 weeks
-any glossy iridescence to tail feathers by 4 weeks (check in sunlight)
-a ‘broken squeaky toy’ noise that no one else made
-thick legs
-chest bumping others
-comb pinked up quicker than everyone else’s (noticeable by 4 weeks)

He crowed right at 11 weeks, which sealed the deal.

Maybe that’ll help ID your birdie so you can prepare to rehome if needed.

 

[Aocskasy]

We had two Easter Eggers and one turned out to be a roo. Scooby had to get sent back to the ‘gentlemen’s club’ at Dare2Dream farms, but we still miss him.

The things I noticed in him that I saw online listed as early indications of cockerels in EE:
-any pink under the beak in the waddle area at 3 weeks
-any glossy iridescence to tail feathers by 4 weeks (check in sunlight)
-a ‘broken squeaky toy’ noise that no one else made
-thick legs
-chest bumping others
-comb pinked up quicker than everyone else’s (noticeable by 4 weeks)

He crowed right at 11 weeks, which sealed the deal.

Maybe that’ll help ID your birdie so you can prepare to rehome if needed.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[chrissynemetz]

With some chicks you can tell as early as 3 weeks, some not until they start growing male specific feathers. Looking at your photos, I really have no idea yet. Could you try to get some pictures in natural sunlight? They're sure cute little things.

 

[David61]

chest bumping ? all my chicks do that. lol
Heavy red comb and waddle 6-8 weeks. saddle and tail feathers 8-12 weeks.