Just Bought Two 7 Day Old Chicks, Can't tell if Male or Female! I think I have one of each!

[EggPoopers]

They are both Barred Rock Chicks that have some Cochin in them (both have feathery feet). Can anyone tell me if you can tell if they are male or female? One is dark almost all black and one is black/yellow. I think the darker one is male, the lighter is female but what do I know!!! HELP!

EDIT: The black chick (Second set of pics; named Arby) Already has tail feathers, and the lighter chick (Wendy) does not.

(PS. new to forums, sorry if my pictures don't work)

The first three pics are Wendy (the lighter one)


Wendy 2


Wendy 3



The next three pics are Arby (the darker one)



Arby 2


Arby 3

 

[aoxa]

If the mother was barred rock, than the first one is a male. The second one would be female. Barred rock hen x non-barred rooster = barred sons, black daughters.

By the way, adorable!! I just bought ELEVEN chicks today. They are so cute they make my teeth hurt!

 

[EggPoopers]

The feed store that I bought them from told me I would be able to tell for sure when they are about 8 weeks old. So in 7 weeks. He said if one is a male I can bring it back to him and exchange it for a female.

My question is, how can I tell in 7 weeks? Will I be able to tell by their comb? feet? These are only my second batch of chickens, I had 2 last summer but I received them as adult hens! New to this Chick business BUT IM LOVING IT SO FAR!

 

[BlueCamas]

Unless the chicks are sex-linked, then you most likely won't be able to tell their gender until they 5+ weeks old. Since they have single combs, their genders will be very obvious. The easiest way to tell if you have a boy or a girl is to look at the comb (this is when they are older); the cockerels have bigger comb that will start pinking up very early while the pullets combs will remain small and colorless until they are around POL. Post some clear head shots of your chickies in a few weeks and we will be able give you a better idea of what you have

 

[EggPoopers]

Okay Thank you! Will post some pics as soon as I see combs What does POL mean?

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

As they get older... the males will get bigger, have bigger combs and bigger, thicker legs... when you can compare them with others... hard to tell "alone".. (pics that include both, and their combs and their legs, how they stand, etc., next to each other)..... but, when I have four chicks, generally I will have three that are cockerels and one that is a pullet... when I hatch them with a broody hen that seems to be my ratio about 75% male.. I hear the ratio is better when you hatch in an incubator?

I will watch for this trend in chicks that AOXA states, as I now have a non-barred rock roo and still two barred rock - one hen, one pullet.... I will be interested in this and see if it plays out, would be nice to tell before I get attached and then they have to go to freezer camp if they are cockerels.

Sometimes you are not fully sure of sex until they either crow or lay.. or get to that age... I am guessing, only guessing that POL might mean "point of laying"? I have had some I can tell early on and some that I can't be sure until they start to get "pin feathers" or really start to look and act like a roo. As I get more experience, I am getting better at being able to tell.... could even tell that two were cocks the day they hatched, and I didn't look in their vents, they had much more distinct combs than the others day one. Little cockerels will also spar with each other more... while the pullet chick will walk away.

Since my extra cockerels go to freezer camp.. become soup or stew... (for my neighbor, I can't)... I have to be very sure they are male and not female before I make that decision to cull.

Good luck.

 

[Time-Out]

I can generally sex my chicks by three weeks of age. I've been around them and have seen their combs grow. Currently, I have 1 male and two girls in my brooder. I took three cockerels to market on Saturday. They're only three weeks old.

 

[juliechick]

Yes, POL means "point of lay".

 

[Pele]

Mixes are hard to guess for, but fast growing tail feathers is a very female trait. Is the lighter one generally behind on feathering overall? Most roos will feather slower than their sisters in all areas, but most especially in the tail.

 

[EggPoopers]

Actually yes the lighter chick has no tail feathers at all, and the darker one has a lot of tail feathers already. The feathers on the wings are equal between the two, and this morning I noticed some feathers on their neck. I can take pics and post later when I'm home from school, I can't remember which chick had the feathers on its neck.