is chick behavior telling me the sex?

[bj taylor]

my two week old chicks are chest butting each other. i would think this was male behavior, but i would also think they're too young for sex specific behavior. please clue me in. thanks. bj

 

[Yay Chicks!]

It's normal for youngsters to chest bump whether they are male or female.

 

[bj taylor]

thanks yay chicks; i was hoping i didn't have that many roosters.

 

[sourland]

Chicks of all ages and even upon occassion pullets and hens will flare hackles and mock fight. They are already working on setting the pecking order.

 

[JoieD]

It's true they all do it. I thought I had 14 males. All that chest bumping and fighting, I was so sure I almost called the hatchery to complain. Thank goodness I didn't. I ended up with 14 pullets !

 

[centrarchid]

To ensure at least a little totally useless information is included, I will be males do it more frequently than pullets starting at hatch. My games and American dominiques that can be sexed at hatch follow this pattern.