- Aug 27, 2011
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I would like to hatch some more chicks however i would like to know which chicks are hens or cockerel as early as possible any ideas how i could do this ?
sexing day old chicks
- Thread starter chittyn
- Start date
not 100% accurate, but when they hatch, usually any with the top part of the beak much taller and wider with bigger cartilege around the nostril are boys. Only works in some breeds.
Why not order yourself some sexlink eggs or eggs from autosexing breeds of chicken.
Autosexing breeds are pure breeds and the chicks hatch out different colours for males and females. The best known here in the UK is probably Legbars, but there are a few others around. Sexlinks are pretty much the same, except they're not pure breeds, they're hybrids of two different breeds that produce the same kind of colour difference in chicks of different sexes. One common combination is a Rhode Island red male with Light Sussex females, to produce chicks that are all either gingery or silvery - can't remember which is male and which is female though!
Autosexing breeds are pure breeds and the chicks hatch out different colours for males and females. The best known here in the UK is probably Legbars, but there are a few others around. Sexlinks are pretty much the same, except they're not pure breeds, they're hybrids of two different breeds that produce the same kind of colour difference in chicks of different sexes. One common combination is a Rhode Island red male with Light Sussex females, to produce chicks that are all either gingery or silvery - can't remember which is male and which is female though!
Barred rocks can be sexed by colour at day old.
http://www.thai-farm.com/sexing-barred-plymouth-rocks-chickens/
http://www.thai-farm.com/sexing-barred-plymouth-rocks-chickens/
You can read the first post on the thread below. This covers the three basic ways to get sex linked characteristics, red sex links, black sex links, and feather sexing. None of these work unless you have specific traits in the parents and they only work for one generation.
Tadkersons Sex Link Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208
As Gypsy said, there are some breeds that are autosexing. A common one is a barred breed, Barred Rock, Dominique, or Cuckoo Maran. The males tend to have a larger white spot on top of the head than the females at hatch. After they feather out, the males tend to be lighter colored than the females. This is not a 100% method, but with a little practice, you can usually come pretty close.
For the majority of chickens there is no way to be sure, but there are a few specific breeds or crosses where you can do pretty well at hatch.
Tadkersons Sex Link Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261208
As Gypsy said, there are some breeds that are autosexing. A common one is a barred breed, Barred Rock, Dominique, or Cuckoo Maran. The males tend to have a larger white spot on top of the head than the females at hatch. After they feather out, the males tend to be lighter colored than the females. This is not a 100% method, but with a little practice, you can usually come pretty close.
For the majority of chickens there is no way to be sure, but there are a few specific breeds or crosses where you can do pretty well at hatch.
(not sure how accurate I am at doing this but) if you pull out there wings males have all long feathers and females have long ends that are shorter as they get close to their body
Both Red and Black Sex-Links use a red male for the father. Either a Rhode Island Red or a New Hampshire may be used.
Black Sex-Links are produced using a Barred Rock as the mother. Both sexes hatch out black, but the males have a white dot on their heads. Pullets feather out black with some red in neck feathers. Males feather out with the Barred Rock pattern along with a few red feathers. Black Sex-Links are often referred to as Rock Reds.
Red Sex-Links are the result of various crosses. White Rocks with the silver factor (the dominant white gene would produce all white offspring) are crossed with a New Hampshire male to produce the Golden Comet. Silver Laced Wyandotte crossed with New Hampshire gives the Cinnamon Queen. Two other crosses are obtained with Rhode Island White x Rhode Island Red, and Delaware x Production Red or Rhode Island Red. These two crosses are simply called Red Sex-Links. Males hatch out white and, depending on the cross, feather out to pure white or with some black feathering. Females hatch out buff or red also depending on cross, and they feather out in one of three ways.
Buff with white or tinted undercolor (such as Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red x Rhode Island White)
Red with White or tinted undercolor (Cinnamon Queen)
Red with Red undercolor (Delaware x Production Red or Rhode Island Red) (In this color pattern it is almost impossible to distinguish daughters' color from father's color.)
I have bred Rhode Island Red males with Delaware female and the female chicks look like the Rhode Island Red and the male chicks look like the Delaware. Also I have done a Rhode Island Red male with Barred Rock females which produces Black Sex-Links.
Black Sex-Links are produced using a Barred Rock as the mother. Both sexes hatch out black, but the males have a white dot on their heads. Pullets feather out black with some red in neck feathers. Males feather out with the Barred Rock pattern along with a few red feathers. Black Sex-Links are often referred to as Rock Reds.
Red Sex-Links are the result of various crosses. White Rocks with the silver factor (the dominant white gene would produce all white offspring) are crossed with a New Hampshire male to produce the Golden Comet. Silver Laced Wyandotte crossed with New Hampshire gives the Cinnamon Queen. Two other crosses are obtained with Rhode Island White x Rhode Island Red, and Delaware x Production Red or Rhode Island Red. These two crosses are simply called Red Sex-Links. Males hatch out white and, depending on the cross, feather out to pure white or with some black feathering. Females hatch out buff or red also depending on cross, and they feather out in one of three ways.
Buff with white or tinted undercolor (such as Golden Comet, Rhode Island Red x Rhode Island White)
Red with White or tinted undercolor (Cinnamon Queen)
Red with Red undercolor (Delaware x Production Red or Rhode Island Red) (In this color pattern it is almost impossible to distinguish daughters' color from father's color.)
I have bred Rhode Island Red males with Delaware female and the female chicks look like the Rhode Island Red and the male chicks look like the Delaware. Also I have done a Rhode Island Red male with Barred Rock females which produces Black Sex-Links.
Quote:
Feather sexing requires maintaining 2 breeder flocks for the parents and one breeder flock for the chicks. (Two flocks would work, but this is easiest way to explain it.)
The breeder flock for the female line must be slow feathering only, and the breeder flock for the male line must be fast feathering only. To breed for the chicks you would then cross the slow feathering females with the fast feathering males. The resulting offspring would be the opposite of their parents. Females fast feathering and the males slow feathering.
Some hatcheries just switch the males on the mother and father lines. The resulting offspring of one flock would be feather sexable and the offspring from the other flock would be sold as straight run. (Remember that the mother must be slow feathering and father fast feathering for feather sexing to work).
Because the males' feather grow slower, they will be shorter and of equal length. Females' feathers will be not only longer but some feathers will be much longer than the others (sort of a row of long and a row of short feathers.
Feather sexing requires maintaining 2 breeder flocks for the parents and one breeder flock for the chicks. (Two flocks would work, but this is easiest way to explain it.)
The breeder flock for the female line must be slow feathering only, and the breeder flock for the male line must be fast feathering only. To breed for the chicks you would then cross the slow feathering females with the fast feathering males. The resulting offspring would be the opposite of their parents. Females fast feathering and the males slow feathering.
Some hatcheries just switch the males on the mother and father lines. The resulting offspring of one flock would be feather sexable and the offspring from the other flock would be sold as straight run. (Remember that the mother must be slow feathering and father fast feathering for feather sexing to work).
Because the males' feather grow slower, they will be shorter and of equal length. Females' feathers will be not only longer but some feathers will be much longer than the others (sort of a row of long and a row of short feathers.
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