sexing by primary feathers

[tallyho]

So a friend was over today and she said that I could sex my chicks by their primary wing feathers. She said the pointy ones meant cockerals and the rounded ones were pullets. She was adamant that she wasn't talking about hackles or saddle feathers. My 2 6 week old chicks happened to have pointy feathers and the hens in the yard have round ones. Anyone hear of this?

 

[Kittymomma]

It's not about pointy or round, it's about the primary and covert feathers length when compared to each other and it's only accurate on some breeds and when they are very young. Here's a link you might like.

http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/sld001.htm

ETA: http://www.howtodothings.com/pets-and-animals/a3887-how-to-determine-the-sex-of-baby-chickens.html

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Never heard of it, here is a picture of a year old Rhode Island Red Rooster and not one pointy primary wing feather.

Chris

 

[tallyho]

...a picture is worth a 1000 words....

That's settled...it's not true. I love and keep up with this forum and had never read anything like that on here.

Thank You

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
You can read more on it on tadkerson sticky it even gives a list of breeds that you can use to create the "Sex-link.
Its about half way down and right after Red and Black Sex-links.

Chris

 

[TheEggLady]

I have been sexing my chicks by watching feather growth between two and 10 days. (you have to watch them carefully over this time) The ones that grow tails feathers first (at just a few days old) seem to be pullets. I then ring them, as they whole batch tends to grow to look the same after a few days/weeks and I would lose them. The cockerels seem to grow their tail feathers a little later. There is a definite difference between the two. I have so far hatched two lots of Lavender Araucana cockerel with three hens, a cuckoo Maran, a Copper Black Maran and a Lavender Araucana hybrid. I seem to have been 80% successful with the sexing, which isn't bad at all. Obviously I have to change the rings to larger ones as their legs grow.

I would love to know what colour eggs any of you have had from such crosses. I have been told that the Copper Black Maran X Lavander Aracauna should produce "green" egg layers, and the other crosses I have should be blue egg layers. I can't wait to find out. They are PoL now, but being cold here in the UK I don't think I will see any eggs now until the Spring.