Sexing by wing feathering?

[GrannyHeeney]

My friend said wing feathers can indicate sex (something about double rows or layers or something?) and is fairly sure this is a pullet. Just for fun (not even a week old!), what do y'all think?

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Unless a chicken was specifically bred for wing feather sexing, meaning its a hybrid of a slow feathering and a fast feathering parent, then this won't work. I've had chickens of the same breed that grew quick, some that grew slow... and they were all girls. In fact, I'd also read about feather sexing, and got so scared I had half cockerels in my first group of 5 that I ran out and bought 6 more... Chicken math... LOL

so the best way to do this, is wait until its about 8 weeks old and post pics again. Unless there's a seriously red comb before then, that will be the only way to know.

 

[JedJackson]

It only works for breeds or hybrids that are specifically bred for the purpose of feather sexing. Do you know the breed of your chick?

 

[azygous]

Wing sexing has to be done soon after hatch. Only those breeds developed for slow male feathering can accurately be sexed, though.

The boys have an even row of feather buds that appear similar to a row of toothpicks. Females have staggered rows of feather buds. Often some boy chicks will be much slower to develop wing feathers than the girls after a couple weeks, but you really shouldn't depend on that to accurately predict sex.

A better method is to watch the development and color of the combs on the chicks as they approach four weeks. The boys have yellow to yellow-orange combs that are more obvious than the girls' colorless and mostly non-existent combs. By age six weeks, the boys' combs will appear an unmistakable red while the girls maintain colorless combs until point of lay.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

It only works for breeds or hybrids that are specifically bred for the purpose of feather sexing. Do you know the breed of your chick?

Okay... LOL Momma is Silkie/CCL, Poppa is D'Uccle/sumthin'. LOL I kinda had a feeling I've at least got a few more weeks. If attitude is any indication, this little one has attitude with a capitol 4. LOL S/he is enraged by tp--when I go to clean up a poo, s/he wigs out, attacks the tp, and runs in circles with it. Very nippy, very assertive...the suggestions about the little pop on the noggin have helped to curb some of it, I believe.

 

[JedJackson]

Okay... LOL Momma is Silkie/CCL, Poppa is D'Uccle/sumthin'. LOL I kinda had a feeling I've at least got a few more weeks. If attitude is any indication, this little one has attitude with a capitol 4. LOL S/he is enraged by tp--when I go to clean up a poo, s/he wigs out, attacks the tp, and runs in circles with it. Very nippy, very assertive...the suggestions about the little pop on the noggin have helped to curb some of it, I believe.

Hmmm, well, pullets at that age can have attitude, too. So you are right, it will have to wait until 7 weeks or so. I wonder why it has a problem with TP, of all things? You should record him or her in action. I'd love to see it.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Feather sexing only works for specific hybrids.
Post pics of your chick's comb at six weeks.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

Feather sexing only works for specific hybrids.
Post pics of your chick's comb at six weeks.

I want those hybrids LOL