Sexing wyandottes

[Mrs Hutcherson]

Does anyone have any tips for sexing chicks?
I found someone selling blue laced red wyandotte chicks, straight run, and I am new to this, looking for advice on choosing pullets. :/
Please and thank you for any and all help!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

My 4 are all feathering at the same rate and at 2 weeks have no comb or wattles to speak of. At about what age can you begin to see differences in pullets and cockerels as far as comb and wattles?

Sometimes at 4 weeks, other times 8 weeks!

 

[debid]

All the research I've been doing says it works with wyandottes at 1-3 days old.

Not sure where you're reading that but feather sexing is either by color (sexlinks or autosexing breeds, not Wyandottes) or wing growth on newly hatched chicks where the parent birds were a fast-feathering rooster and a slow-feathering hen. Wing sexing is not a breed characteristic, it's a technique used in commercial layer production because it's cheaper than vent sexing when you're producing large volumes of chicks.

It's going to be luck of the draw. You can try the old wives' tales (wave a hand over and choose the ones that duck, that sort of thing) but don't expect to do better than 50%.

 

[countrygoddess]

I'd like to know this, too, as I hatched 4 BLRW and at 2 weeks old I still can't tell a difference!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Well here are some easy tips I like to give and use.
1. Look at the comb and waddles, if the comb and waddles are big then that is a hint it is a cockerel or rooster.
2. Look at its feathering, cockerels often feather in slower then pullets. And if it is a full grown rooster then the tail is a big hint too. Long beautiful tail is a sign its a rooster small tail is a sign its a pullet.

It just takes time and practice my friend!
Hen!

Roo!


Hopefully you can tell the difference now!

 

[countrygoddess]

My 4 are all feathering at the same rate and at 2 weeks have no comb or wattles to speak of. At about what age can you begin to see differences in pullets and cockerels as far as comb and wattles?

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

How about a day or 2.old? I'm waiting on them to hatch, the person selling them is supposed to let me know when, and its straight run. Im getting 4 or 5, im fine with one roo, but really need pullets....:/
Any advice?

 

[kacklinkelly]

paint their coop blue and you will end up with all pullets. (sorry I couldn't help myself)
I was wanting the same thing as you when I got our chicks back in October. I kept
staring at them daily trying to figure out who was growing what, when. It got a little
dicy for a while with a couple of people telling me I had 2 possible roos out of the 3
chicks. Right away I panicked and had to find them back up homes because I
can't have roosters and they are my pets.

Long story short, I ended up with 3 mutts who are all girls. Lots of worrying for
nothing. I would create a back up plan in the event you have roosters and
trust the universe to provide you exactly what you are intending to bring into
your life. ENjoy!

 

[countrygoddess]

How about a day or 2.old? I'm waiting on them to hatch, the person selling them is supposed to let me know when, and its straight run. Im getting 4 or 5, im fine with one roo, but really need pullets....

Any advice?

You know, with 60 chicks of various breeds and all I really need is about 12 of them to be pullets and three of my friends need another 20 of them to be pullets... I'm thinking very strongly about learning how to vent sex. :-S (cockerels will be raised and processed for food)

 

[Mrs Hutcherson]

How reliable is feather sexing?