Sexing!

[Sommalincolne Bantie Roo]

Hi

Please could anyone give me advice on sexing my chicks. Ive looked on the net and spoke to different people. Many say if the chick is Golden its a girl and if its Pale Lemon in colour its a boy.....is this true? Also the redness of comb and wattles which sometimes I find hard and the signs of sickle feathers for males and the rounding of feathers for the girls.

Can anyone give me advice for sexing upto 2-3wks old?


Many thanks

 

[AnnieBLix]

Hi there!

I read an article yesterday about feather sexing.

It says that there are 2 sets of feathers on a chicks wing - the primary and the covert. The primary feathers are right at the tip of the wing and the covert a little further back.

On a hen the primary will be much longer than the covert and on a cock the primary and the covert will be much more in line with each other. Best done in the 1st 3 days though.

Below is a picture of what to look out for. Quite hard though, especially with a wriggly chick!

http://animalsciences.missouri.edu/reprod/ReproTech/Feathersex/sld006.htm

 

[LindaJean]

I saw a great You tube video - actually it was Mike Rose - Dirtiest Jobs learning chicken sexing - and I, the ultimate novice, tried if on my chicks and it became so easy - you won't be able to do it on much older than 1 week but it makes it so obvious. The Primary feathers - the big ones farthest out on the wings, if it is a girl, there are two rows, one being much shorter than the other - They are kind of like in a row - long-short-long-short etc. If it's a roo then all the feathers are the same length.
I also saw a great vent sexing video on sexing ducks, but I don't know if it is done the same way as with chickens.
Good Luck!!

 

[DomesticDiva12]

I accurately sexed 5 of my 6 chicks based on their wing feathers the day/day after I got them. There is one that I am still not sure of at 7 weeks old! The females feather out faster and the male 's comb was bigger and red at 3-4 weeks old.

 

[Sommalincolne Bantie Roo]

Thank you for your reply and thats very good information.

My chicks are nearly 4wks old now, its a shame I didn't have that information earlier but Ive saved the page if I hatch again.

Many thanks!

 

[Sommalincolne Bantie Roo]

Hi

After having the information on sexing by featherings. I tried it on two newly hatched chicks and I was 100% that both were females. 4wks later am still sure one is female but the other is a Pekin bantam and its comb is on/off red its still little but I concieve myself its growing. Think am gonna have to wait till another couple of weeks.
I must of gone wrong with the feathering somewhere but it looked so easy todo.

Can you give me any tips?

What did your little chick turn out tobe?