Rooster or Hen? Can't tell at 20 weeks.

[heatheraldi]

I could use some opinions here. I always kept hens before, but this year decided to incubate and hatch out my own chicks, so I assumed about half cockerels, half pullets. They were born mid-February, so I figured I should be able to tell by now and cull all but two of the cocks. I hatched out 50. 49 survived. 2 are very obviously roosters, crowing and mating. I can't tell with the rest of them. I'm just finding it inconceivable that 47 could be hens! Only 1 or 2 have started laying. Part of my problem is that they are so many different breeds, so I can't compare them to each other. Is there a secret? Is there a way at this point that I can sex them and cull before they get too old and tough to be table birds?

 

[MrsBachbach]

Pick each bird up and look for the pointed saddle feathers that should be there at 20 wks. I assume every breed of bird should have them if they are male. Females have more rounded tip feathers in the saddle area, males have pointy tips. Same for the hackle feathers. Females more rounded, males pointy. Although I have seen what looks like pointy feathers in the hackles in females, so I would look at the saddle feathers if I were you. Those are the feathers on the back just in front of the tail area.