New to chickens.

[Bluehoney]

How old do polish need to be to sex them? We just gor 6 babies under a week old.

 

[Mrs J]

Hi
Welcome to backyard chickens
I would say at least 12-14 weeks. Polish can be very deceiving.

 

[Bluehoney]

Okay thank you. I will wait till then and get some photos of them.

 

[Mrs J]

Okay thank you. I will wait till then and get some photos of them.

If the suspense gets the better of you, you can try posting pics a bit earlier and maybe get a definitive answer. I have polish myself and they can be very tricky.
Best wishes
Mrs J

 

[JedJackson]

@BastyPutt What do you think?

 

[BastyPutt]

@BastyPutt What do you think?

Oh wow. Case by case.

You could argue in some cases they are autosexing, with pullets having a cotton ball puff, and cockerels having more of a cube puff, with flat sides. Obviously isn't definitive, but if you are picking chicks out of a bin, it would give you atleast a punchers chance.

In general, I'd say 14 weeks for most varieties, and someone who has done a bit of research would be able to have a good idea of what they have. Some like the golden laced, we have seen as of late can be sexed a bit earlier by their coloring.

 

[JedJackson]

Oh wow. Case by case.

You could argue in some cases they are autosexing, with pullets having a cotton ball puff, and cockerels having more of a cube puff, with flat sides. Obviously isn't definitive, but if you are picking chicks out of a bin, it would give you atleast a punchers chance.

In general, I'd say 14 weeks for most varieties, and someone who has done a bit of research would be able to have a good idea of what they have. Some like the golden laced, we have seen as of late can be sexed a bit earlier by their coloring.

Non-bearded varieties such as white crested black can usually be sexed much earlier if you judge by wattle growth. The bearded ones are tough, though.

 

[Mrs J]

Oh wow. Case by case.

You could argue in some cases they are autosexing, with pullets having a cotton ball puff, and cockerels having more of a cube puff, with flat sides. Obviously isn't definitive, but if you are picking chicks out of a bin, it would give you atleast a punchers chance.

In general, I'd say 14 weeks for most varieties, and someone who has done a bit of research would be able to have a good idea of what they have. Some like the golden laced, we have seen as of late can be sexed a bit earlier by their coloring.

This is exactly why I love this site, I had no idea some could be sexed by their colouring. I have been fooled a few times due to legs, Pom Poms etc. Thank you for this information

 

[BastyPutt]

much earlier if you judge by wattle growth

Yes - 100%. The presence of any wattle at all almost always means cockerel.

 

[BastyPutt]

This is exactly why I love this site, I had no idea some could be sexed by their colouring. I have been fooled a few times due to legs, Pom Poms etc. Thank you for this information

GL are going to have a lot more black around the neck, honches and bellies.