sexing chicks

[jeffery57]

I've heard it's hard to tell the sex of a chick. Are there any good ways to tell them apart?

 

[lotzahenz]

Hi and Welcome! There is a book on how to sex baby chicks but it is not an easy thing to do. The art of 'vent' sexing is difficult to learn (not sure why) but it is impossible for me, and the people who do it are expensive and hard to find. There is color, feather and other ways of sexing, but they are not as easy either. Some breeds are auto-sexed, they are called sex-linked. Go to Amazon and check out the small paperback book. I am a member of PAPERBACK SWAP, where you can get it for free if you join. You can also link to Amazon there as well. Most of us have to wait several weeks to be for sure of the gender of chicks. Some breeds show differences early, some very late. You can band your babies with pink and blue and guess, and over time you will get the hang of it.

 

[FMAFarms]

Like the previous poster said, it's not easy. It involves pretty much weaving a young chick (don't do this past one week of age) through the fingers of your left hand, stroking its belly with your right thumb until it poops, wiping the vent off, then using the thumb and index finger of your right hand to apply pressure to either side of the vent. The vent will protrude a little upon doing this. Male chicks' penises will be visible, looking like black dots about the size of a pinhead on the circle of the vent. If you're apprehensive about doing this, then don't. Holding a chick too tightly can cut off its air supply or injure it. You can always wait a few weeks until the males' saddle feathers start coming in, too...