RIR questions

[ice329]

Hello, I have a few RIR chicks, two are 9 weeks old and a few that are 5 weeks old. How old will they be before I (a newbie) can be sure what I got as far as hens or roosters. Looking at the older ones I see 2 girls but i dont know, this is comparing them to the younger ones that a few definatly have bigger combs and just look and act like roosters to me but I dont know if what I am seeing is correct. What age will I know? Thanks Joey

 

[popcornpuppy]

I think it depends on where the chicks came from. If they are from a hatchery, most hatcheries breed them to be feather sexed. By the time they are 2 weeks old, you can tell the roos from the girls. The girls have more feathers at a younger age, and feather out faster. The roos have fuzzy buts, shorter wings and larger combs. I have some hatchery and some breeder Reds. The hatchery Reds were easy to sex. The breeder Reds are only 5 weeks old, and I still don't know about the sex on them. Hope this helps.

 

[bigdawg]

when they start to crow.

i coudnt help it. you should be able to tell around 12 weeks and four months for sure. the roosters should have a much taller comb by then. and the tail feathers on the roos will curve upward and the pullets will be more flat, or straight out behind them. the pullets will have very little comb at all at that age. i hope i could help. maybe someone has a better way to tell....

 

[ice329]

There is a few with big combs already at 5 weeks but I wasnt sure if pullets get a big combs like that or not. I do see some with low combs..and both the 9 week olds have small combs and I really thought they were pullets but now I see little bumps(spurs?) coming out on there legs, one chicks is bigger then the others. I hatched the eggs but I beleieve there one generation out of McMurry. Prob tomarrow I will snap a few pics and post them. I never knew raising a few chickens was so involved...

 

[bigdawg]

pics do help, sometimes.

 

[ice329]

Here are two little vids of the 9 week old RIR (hopefully) pullets??? what do you think? T/Y Joey

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/ice0329/?action=view&current=MVI_2919.flv

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n103/ice0329/?action=view&current=MVI_2918.flv

 

[Blue_Myst]

I see at least one girl. The darker one looks a little more "husky" and has thicker legs it seems, but his crown isn't all that red. I'm going to say girls at this point, but it's really hard to know until they're a few weeks older. Even then it's not definite until they crow or lay an egg

Here's a pic of my hatchery RIR hen at roughly twelve weeks, if it helps at all:

 

[rirluvr]

I know how you feel.. my RIR's from mcmurr are 4 months old and I am fairly confident they are females but I lack the expertise to know until they either lay eggs or start singing.

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for the longest time I was sure the one below was a male.. I am still not sure what he/she is but we shall see

 

[Chook-A-Holic]

Looking at their legs and heads, they all look like pullets to me(All of the pics and links in this thread) Mine always have much larger legs and a lot more red on their head, even at 6wks.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Rirluvr.....you have girls.

Ice......I think both yours are girls as well.