One thing I have noticed over time

[wasatusay]

Was wondering if anyone else has noticed that when a chick is getting its feathers a roos tail feathers grow half as fast as a hens? They will grow wing feathers at the same rate but the roos always have half the length of tail feathers than the females of the same age.??

 

[Illia]

That's something a lot of people try and sex chicks by, but it isn't always true. Yes, it often does seem to have a good correlation, but to me should never be used as a sexing trait.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I think it works with Leghorns and the RIR, and it seems the marans we hatched followed it too. But the orps... OMG, they are impossible! I thought it worked with the EEs too, but since we have the Aurcana roo with the EEs, it's not working at all! Some of the EE/Aurcana chicks just have longer tails all along and they turn out to be roos.
So, my vote is.... sometimes

 

[RAREROO]

Yep, its not accurate for all breeds, I found that out the hard way with RIRs and my Speckled Sussex. One time I only saved the ones with longer tail feathers thinking they would be pullets becuase I had other breeds work out that way, but I ended up getting roos too and then when I grew some more off, some of the the slow feathering ones ended up being females.

 

[RAREROO]

The trait is really only truly acurrate when it is bred for, supposedly a rapid feathering breed rooster like a White Leghorn with a slow feathering breed hen like RIRs and that is supposed to make rapid feathering pullets and and slow feathering males that are sexed by looking at the differences in the wing feathers. Amber Links are feather sexlinked hybrids.