Sexing 1 month old mutts

[Fleabuskitty]

I have some random mutt chicks that need sexing. I don't need to know the breeds (not yet, anyway), I just want some guesses on genders so I can decide whose going to freezer camp.
I have been guessing according to the tail feathers. Roosters feather out slower, yes? Some of mine have almost no tail while some have a very developed tail, and I am guessing the no-tailed chicks are male.
I'm probably wrong, though, because it looks to me like only 4 out of 12 are males.

#1 - Swarley - My guess is pullet

#2 - Jayy Von - I think pullet (photo's kinda big

)

#3 - Beans - cockerel?

#4 - Noodles - pullet?

I didn't post pictures of all of them because if I know what these are and what gives it away I will be able to tell with the others because they all look one way or the other - long-ish tail feathers or no tail feathers.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[JenniferNgo]

I am in no way a professional chicken sexer, but whenever I buy straight run chicks I get the ones with tail feathers (to make sure I am getting pullets) been keeping birds for 6 years now and have never been wrong. Without seeing any combs or facial features, I would say the tail feather method is your best bet.

Early tail = girl
Late tail = boy

Hope this helps a little. You could always wait for a crow or an egg!

 

[Chinchilla2]

Forget tail feather sexing. Being potential mutts, a rumpless gene may be part of the mix and it won't matter if they are pullet or cockerel they won't have much of a tail feather to judge by.

Try comb sexing. A good profile or frontal face shot of combs work better than overhead but I would hazard a guess that the first one, the blueish one, is a pullet. The black one sticking it's beak may be a cockerel if it is the same age because it is so red looking in the waddles but without a comb to tell by, it could also be a POL pullet.

Can't see on #2 # 4

#3 may well be a cockerel but need age and a better comb shot.

 

[nurse_turtle]

I wouldn't go by the tail thing too seriously, even if they all hatched during the same couple hours. Even a 1 day difference in hatching means very different growth patterns. Also, different breeds feather faster or slower than others and with mutts, who knows what breeds your dealing with. A good picture of the chick standing up in profile including legs and another of the comb/wattle area and you can get some more definitive answers.

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Ok, thanks. I probably should have said that the first 2 are about a week older than the others. I hatched the others from eggs I bought. The aren't rumpless, though, as they have tail "nubs" and a couple tail feathers. I will try to get some pictures of faces and of some of the others tomorrow, and I'll take them outside for better light

Chinchilla2 - the one lurking in the back of the first picture is actually a 14 month old bantam blue cochin hen. I have no idea why she was in that picture, she isn't raising them or anything, she just likes to sit there and stare at stuff

 

[Chinchilla2]

Quote:
That's my problem with taking chick pix here. I gotta big brown nose surrounded with beige fur in most of them cause Nipper (my dog) is afraid I'm gonna do something with "her babies"

After I move them from the brooder to the pen outside then she's like

on 'em and starts mooning at the incubator for more babies to watch over.

<Edited to remove evidence of tired, hammer smashed fingers>

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Quote:
When I hatched these chicks, one of my cats just sat on the incubator the whole time and when they started hatching he just sat at the window and watched

I think he liked it because it was warm. He's a fat house cat, but sometimes I let him in the back yard to eat grass and the chicks' dad likes to chase him. At least I know my hens are safe from feral cats

Because they're a real problem with chickens, ya know?
I'm going out to get comb pictures now, hopefully the lighting will be decent

I should have taken them when it wasn't 8:30 PM, but that would have been too easy

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Sorry, I couldn't get any good pictures tonight. Believe it or not, baby chickens do not appreciate being woken up to have their pictures taken

I'll be able to get some tomorrow for sure, though.

 

[Cowgirl71]

Sexing chicks by tail feather development only works on chicks straight from the hatchery that have been bred to be feather sexed (as most are these days). But you won't be able to sex 2nd generation chicks by the tail feathers.

Some good pics of the combs along with ages of each chick would help us a bunch!

 

[Fleabuskitty]

Cowgirl71 - Yup, I'm working on the comb pictures

I'll try to take a picture of each of them.