straight run chicks

[DisplacedNYer]

Seriously, how do we tell the boys from the girls? We are very new to this.

 

[BuffMomma]

it is very hard to tell when you new at it the girls have an extra layer of wings that the males don't have

 

[AccentOnHakes]

When they get to around 6 weeks, post pictures and we can help.

 

[Grateful Dad]

ok so set me straight then, the only chicks that are garanteed to be female are sex links correct?
all other chicks will be straight run?
Joe

 

[stephanie1992]

ok so set me straight then, the only chicks that are garanteed to be female are sex links correct?
all other chicks will be straight run?
Joe

If u ordered all straight run and no pullets they all will be straight run. even the sex links

 

[Uzuri]

Gratefule Dad -- other chicks can be sexed with about 90% accuracy (by professional sexers. Farmer Joe down the road may know what he's doing or he may just be guessing, but the 90% generally applies only to the professionals). Sex-links are just particularly OBVIOUS at birth, and from a method other than vent-sexing. Just make sure of what you're ordering -- sexed or straight-run

There are a lot of ways to tell gender. Some are breed-specific (the dots on barred bird's heads, the Vs on Wellies' heads, variations in lengths of feathers on the wings) and can be pretty accurate if you have well-bred (read: not hatchery) birds. Others can be applied roughly across many breeds, but are less accurate (huge feet, attitude, development of comb, speed of feathering). Vent-sexing (looking up the chick's bum right after birth) is what the experts use -- generally once the chicks get to you, the differences in the vent are so small as to be indeterminate (I wonder why this is?) Sex-linked chicks use what we know about genes to breed chicks where the genders are very obviously different colors (the other breed-specific traits I mentioned above are also sex-linked in their way, but to a much fuzzier extent).

If you MUST have only girls, order from a hatchery and order your chicks sexed. Learn over time how to pick out the girls and the boys. But I do recommend that you not attempt to sex chicks yourself right of the bat if you have a lot depending on their genders -- at least not for anything but fun -- or you may end up with a mess on your hands.

I had a lot of time on my hand with my first batch of chicks, so I was able to photograph them every day through the first month, and weekly after that for two months. This allowed me to document their growth and the development of secondary sex characteristics. The second year I ordered straight run so as to have some for the freezer and learned even more about how they develop separately. You can read all you want about how you might determine gender, but your best teacher will be experience and observation.

 

[Pele]

Gratefule Dad -- other chicks can be sexed with about 90% accuracy (by professional sexers. Farmer Joe down the road may know what he's doing or he may just be guessing, but the 90% generally applies only to the professionals). Sex-links are just particularly OBVIOUS at birth, and from a method other than vent-sexing. Just make sure of what you're ordering -- sexed or straight-run

There are a lot of ways to tell gender. Some are breed-specific (the dots on barred bird's heads, the Vs on Wellies' heads, variations in lengths of feathers on the wings) and can be pretty accurate if you have well-bred (read: not hatchery) birds. Others can be applied roughly across many breeds, but are less accurate (huge feet, attitude, development of comb, speed of feathering). Vent-sexing (looking up the chick's bum right after birth) is what the experts use -- generally once the chicks get to you, the differences in the vent are so small as to be indeterminate (I wonder why this is?) Sex-linked chicks use what we know about genes to breed chicks where the genders are very obviously different colors (the other breed-specific traits I mentioned above are also sex-linked in their way, but to a much fuzzier extent).

If you MUST have only girls, order from a hatchery and order your chicks sexed. Learn over time how to pick out the girls and the boys. But I do recommend that you not attempt to sex chicks yourself right of the bat if you have a lot depending on their genders -- at least not for anything but fun -- or you may end up with a mess on your hands.

I had a lot of time on my hand with my first batch of chicks, so I was able to photograph them every day through the first month, and weekly after that for two months. This allowed me to document their growth and the development of secondary sex characteristics. The second year I ordered straight run so as to have some for the freezer and learned even more about how they develop separately. You can read all you want about how you might determine gender, but your best teacher will be experience and observation.

x2. Well said!

There are a handful of breeds that can be easily gender-id'ed at birth, because they have been bred to be that way (wether by wing feather growth, or coloration). Other than that, there is no difference that the untrained eye can percieve among most breeds. It drives most chicken hobbiests crazy, but it's unavoidable.

Make life easier on yourself with your first round, and buy sex-links (named because their color at birth is linked to their gender). That way you won't have to worry yourself over getting roosters, and what to do with them afterwards.