How?!

[Saroco]

How do you tell for SURE that a chick is a male or female? My chicks are 3 weeks old and I heard that if the tail feathers are pointy, they are males. Is this true? Is there any easy ways to figure out what they are?


Thank you for answering....New chickie mama here!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Unless you are a professional sexer with many years of training, then it is not a sure thing. Even the professionals are only about 95% correct. There are many different methods of telling sex of chicks. There is vent sexing, wing sexing and color sexing that are the most popular methods. On many Large Fowl breeds it is relatively accurate to tail sex the chicks at about 4 days old. The pullets will get their tail feathers first. But this does not hold true on all breeds. Sex linked chicks can be distinguished by the color of the feathering when born. At three weeks of age, it may be very difficult to tell sex of chicks due to the extra feathering at that age.
You might want to post pictures of the chicks along with breed information and someone who raises that breed may be able to tell you what you have.

 

[Saroco]

Ethel, Elsie, Jess, Flo, Amelia, Bertha, Gertie

 

[Saroco]

Ethel (Buff Orpington), Elsie (Silver laced Wyandotte), Jess (Red Star), Flo (White Plymouth Rock), Amelia (Silver Laced Wyandotte), Bertha(Buff Orpington) and Gertie (Austrolorp) (bigger Image)

Gertie and Bertha's tails are pointy....Is it a myth that rooster's tails are pointy?

 

[TomG]

I love the composition! I have no idea what gender any of them are but the picture is beautiful!

 

[Saroco]

Thank you! My mother took it! She's pretty good.

 

[Kittymomma]

I don't know about the rest, but red stars are a sex-link hybrid so she should be a...well, a she.