How to tell gender

[KelsiNS]

I'm pretty new to chickens, and just purchased (supposedly) four pullets and one roo. Now, they range from very young (my littlest RIR still has yellow and white wingtips) to a few months (my biggest BA). My older reds, one of which is supposed to be a roo, are almost identical. My family has the age old standby of "wait till it crows". I'd kinda like to know how you tell by sight alone. Both have small combs, neither has a very vibrant wattle. One has a larger tail, but then again, my baby red has a pretty puffy butt on her too.

What are some tips for sexing young birds by looks alone, specifically BA and RIRs?

 

[BantamFan4Life]

For day-old chicks feather sexing is common. Look on YouTube for a video of feather sexing. For older mature birds it's usually the feathers and the combs and wattles.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mostly, compare them against each other. Cockerels will get a larger comb that will turn pink more quickly than a pullets. Cockerels also tend to feather in slower and have thicker legs. Pullets will have pale, small combs until they are older, like around 10-14 weeks. By around 13 weeks, cockerels will start getting in their saddle feathers, shiny pointy feathers that hang down the sides of their tail. Pullets do not get these feathers.