How to sex newborn/young chickens?

[Tazman99]

I'm soon going to buy a few Mille Fleur chicks, having read about them I learned that the roosters are pretty aggressive, plus I already have a small rooster(Old English Game Bantam) and he probably wouldn't like a big fat rooster attacking him.

So, is there any way to tell if a young chicken is male or female?

I already have a tiny flock of small show bantams. 2 EGMB Hens and the one rooster.

 

[kristamarie]

Try typing that as a search into the bar under the BYC logo top left. I'm certain I've seen this topic posted quite a few times. I know you can do it by how the feathers are growing in on the wings, just not sure on specifics. Good luck!

 

[Denise]

Hello

This is a site for feather sexing young chicks: http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/

 

[debid]

Whisper in its ear that roosters become stew at your house and see if it flinches. Works as well as any of the other tips you're likely to get. Sorry, but if it were easy, hatcheries wouldn't have to hire pros to sort their chicks. And wing sexing as shown in the pp's link only works if the chicks were bred for it.

 

[jammyjammy2112]

hello i learnt this trick off a man up in my street some people say it works some don,t if you get a nail and a string tie the string around the top of the nail then put the string on top of your finger with your tumb holding it then wait a couple of seconds for the nail to stop moving get your chick hold it in the opposite hand put the nail over the chick don't put the nail on the chick just above the chick if the nail spins around in a circle its a hen/female if the nail swings side to side its roster/male hope this helps it worked for me i checked when they where a day old it works for any age and it turned out i had 3 cocks and 1 hen and it was right.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The very first post in this thread gives the science in sexing chickens by color, pattern, or feathers. There are a few other things that could work, like leg color, but they work on the same principle. The parents have to be genetically set up for it. And there are some specific breeds that give you clues when they hatch, such as Barred Rock males have a larger spot on the head than pullets. Mille Fleurs are not one of those breeds.

Tadkerson’s Sex Link Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208

There is a video on this forum that shows how to feather sex chicks. Some people have seen that video and think it works for each and every chicken. After all, they saw it on the internet. What they don’t know is that video used to be attached to an explanation of how the parents have to be set up genetically for it to work. Just another example of how Urban Legends get proven.

There is a method to vent sex chicks. Mike Rowe did an episode on it on Dirty Jobs. Specially trained people do it at hatcheries, but they generally don’t do bantams. Bantam chicks are just too small to be able to do it well or quickly.

Sometimes some people can get a clue by a chick’s posture. A male chick will occasionally stand more upright than a pullet. Occasionally, not always. There is absolutely no guarantee with this, but with practice and experience, you can often get above 50% with observing the chicks based on their behaviors. Not always a lot above 50% but a bit. Depends on your skill level and the chicks.

I can’t remember which method it is, but one of the ancient Greek philosophers gave a method for sexing chicks. Thing is, his method was exactly opposite to the magical mystical method that is now popular. These myths have been around for thousands of years. Urban Legends live forever.

You can use any other method you want. You have a 50% chance of being right. Good luck!

 

[fuzziecreatures]

Whisper in its ear that roosters become stew at your house and see if it flinches. Works as well as any of the other tips you're likely to get. Sorry, but if it were easy, hatcheries wouldn't have to hire pros to sort their chicks. And wing sexing as shown in the pp's link only works if the chicks were bred for it.

Lol, that made my headache feel better for a few seconds.