Sexing chicks, possibly a silly question...

[seespotbitejane]

I've seen the youtube videos about sexing chicks and read articles and advice here and I've made some guesses about my chicks, but I was just wondering, does it get easier to tell as they get older? Does a roo's equipment get more uh... pronounced? I don't have any adult chickens to compare to.

See I've got this assortment of bantam chicks and 4 of them are sebrights, which as I understand it, were selectively bred so that the hens were as fine feathered as the roos. So now most of my chicks are sorting themselves out with combs, and feathering, and attitudes, and noise, but not these four. Well, I'm pretty sure I caught the biggest one proto-crowing so it's just the last three that I'm curious about.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Bantams are the hardest to sex and I've only raised a few bantams myself, so I'm no expert here. All I've ever been able to do is watch for wattles, red combs, and saddle and hackle feathers. Of course, the crowing gives it away too.

I don't know if there is any other surefire way to do it than to wait and see.

 

[RAWR]

bantams are soo hard to sex
<.<
i would just go along with comb size

 

[that_crazy_lady]

well I've never tryed sexing, but I've had sebrights and it does take a little longer to tell. cocks wallets and comb get larger and are a brighter red. but like I said it takes time, only thing about the breed that does not make me happy. lol

 

[possumqueen]

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Welcome welcome! If you learn how to sex bantams you'll be the most popular name on BYC!

BTW, that's a great name! Where DID you come up with that?

 

[featheredfriendlover]

i live with my grandparents. anyway whenever i ask them if i can let some of the hens hatch some eggs and they say ok i put the eggs under the hens and wait. well there almost always bantie eggs and when ever they hatch after about a week i can tell what they are. my grandpa and grandma think they dont know what im talking about but if i say its a rooster when its little its a rooster when its older. i think bantams are easier to sex because they dont get as big of combs as standards.

 

[possumqueen]

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Do you mean that if a bantam chick has a larger comb when it's newly hatched, then it WILL be a rooster? Do you have to have hen chicks and rooster chicks together to tell the difference?

Or do I have to have you shipped to my house at hatching time so you can do it for me? I'll even feed you. Real food. and. . .and I'll let you sleep in the house.

 

[seespotbitejane]

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Thanks, I wish I had come up with it. Years ago my friend and I were on a fair court together and we went around to all the local fairs and race meets and things, and one of the horses that we saw consistently was called Seespotbitejane. I was always terrible at picking race horses because I picked either the prettiest ones or the ones with the best name.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see on the Sebrights. The one is pulling away from the pack in size and comb growth so I'll just assume that that means the others are all hens.

They're hatchery birds, so aren't the ones that are same breed/same age likely to be related?

I'm really hoping for no more roos since I already have three confirmed and I can really realistically only keep 2 (which is a stretch with my space and neighborhood). The problem is that I love the roos' so much. They're pretty, have great personalities, I kind of enjoy the noise, and I don't mind the lack of eggs. Ah well, it's nothing new. Everybody who keeps chickens has this delema.