I won't be the spoiler for your daughter's science project. I will say that even in the early 30's we paid 1 cent per chick to get them vent sexed; so to be certain if any of the old tales actually worked my grandfather or father would have known about it.
Some I am listing do hold validity and have an asterisk next to them:
1). Temperature: running the incubator .5 degree too low say at 99f means more pullets and .5 degrees higher means more cockerels.*
1A) Weather: During the hatch if barometric pressure is frequently low the hatch will favor pullets if the barometric pressure is high frequently the hatch will favor cockerels. "If you have a lot of rain you'll get pullets if you get a lot of sun you'll get a lot of cockerels." (old farmer's saying)*
2). Holding a steel ring ties to a string above the chick's head. If it moves in a circle it's a pullet if it moves side to side it's a cockerel. This theory is based on magnetic attraction.
3). Hold the chick upside down by it's legs, if it flaps to upright itself it's a pullet, if it just hangs there it's a cockerel.
4). Pick up the chick by the back skin of the neck (remember this is how a brood hen picks up her chicks to move them much like a cat) if it lifts its legs it's a pullet, if the legs just hang there it's a cockerel.
5). Lay the chick on its back in the palm of your hand, if it stops kicking it's a pullet, if it continues to kick it's a cockerel.
6). In some pure breeds like Dominiques down color sexing is possible as the cockerels tend to have yellow or white spots on their head also the down under the wings is lighter in the cockerel and darker in the pullets. These are subtle changes that require an experienced eye to notice the color differences.*
7). The egg shape was mentioned with pointed eggs being cockerels and the blunt, round eggs being pullets.
8). Head sexing: Looking at the chick "head on" the head that appears boxy and square is a cockerel and the head shape that is more round or oval is a pullet.
9). Noise Sexing: While observing the chick, clap your hands loudly above their head, a cockerel will stretch and extend his head and chirp and a pullet will crouch down or try to hide.
10). Leg Sexing: A cockerel's legs and toes tend to be bigger and thicker than the pullet. This again requires an experienced eye.*
11). Water Sexing: Take to small 8 oz trays of water, one plain water and one with the water and 1 tsp of white vinegar. Cockerels will only drink the plain water pullets will greedily go after the vinegar water.
Good Luck!
JA
Some I am listing do hold validity and have an asterisk next to them:
1). Temperature: running the incubator .5 degree too low say at 99f means more pullets and .5 degrees higher means more cockerels.*
1A) Weather: During the hatch if barometric pressure is frequently low the hatch will favor pullets if the barometric pressure is high frequently the hatch will favor cockerels. "If you have a lot of rain you'll get pullets if you get a lot of sun you'll get a lot of cockerels." (old farmer's saying)*
2). Holding a steel ring ties to a string above the chick's head. If it moves in a circle it's a pullet if it moves side to side it's a cockerel. This theory is based on magnetic attraction.
3). Hold the chick upside down by it's legs, if it flaps to upright itself it's a pullet, if it just hangs there it's a cockerel.
4). Pick up the chick by the back skin of the neck (remember this is how a brood hen picks up her chicks to move them much like a cat) if it lifts its legs it's a pullet, if the legs just hang there it's a cockerel.
5). Lay the chick on its back in the palm of your hand, if it stops kicking it's a pullet, if it continues to kick it's a cockerel.
6). In some pure breeds like Dominiques down color sexing is possible as the cockerels tend to have yellow or white spots on their head also the down under the wings is lighter in the cockerel and darker in the pullets. These are subtle changes that require an experienced eye to notice the color differences.*
7). The egg shape was mentioned with pointed eggs being cockerels and the blunt, round eggs being pullets.
8). Head sexing: Looking at the chick "head on" the head that appears boxy and square is a cockerel and the head shape that is more round or oval is a pullet.
9). Noise Sexing: While observing the chick, clap your hands loudly above their head, a cockerel will stretch and extend his head and chirp and a pullet will crouch down or try to hide.
10). Leg Sexing: A cockerel's legs and toes tend to be bigger and thicker than the pullet. This again requires an experienced eye.*
11). Water Sexing: Take to small 8 oz trays of water, one plain water and one with the water and 1 tsp of white vinegar. Cockerels will only drink the plain water pullets will greedily go after the vinegar water.
Good Luck!
JA
