Tips on picking Pullet Barred Rock chicks??? HELP!! (PICS UP)

[ThePamperedPullet]

There are different ways to sex chicks. Barred Rock pullets have a more defined roundish white mark on their heads. The cockerals have a more mis-shapen mark. Look at the wing. If there are two rows of feathers then it is a pullet. One row is a cockeral. We also use the method of turning the chick over in your hand. Allow the chick to lay on its back in the palm of your hand. If it continues to kick it is a cockeral. If it lays like it is napping then it is a pullet.

 

[k2chickens]

Thanks for all the info and im glad I wasn't the only one who tried the upside down thing with there legs. I was starting to feel bad for doing this and worried that it is inhumane!

I am going to take a picture of the BR we got so you guys could maybe help us decide what we got because right now it is pretty much 50-50!

We tried the foot marks but it seems to be made up of 50% black and 50% orange. We also tried the upside down thing and it struggles about 50% of the time and the other times it just stayed there.

Pics up soon!

 

[Jeff9118]

Dont turn them upside down or hold them by the feet.. The best way to sex them is to pick the darkest colored BR's. Those are hens. I told a friend that last year and he bought 4 and also applied that to the RIR chicks and got 4 of those also. He ended up with 8 hens. He is also a member on here and will vouch that this worked. He picked from the straight run bin.

 

[k2chickens]

Here is the hopeful pullet!

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
As you can see from the pic this chick isn't very dark...

 

[addicted2chicks]

From the top of the head and the front of the legs I say cockerel. I am no expert but I do have BR's.

 

[Jeff9118]

Quote:
As you can see from the pic this chick isn't very dark...

I mean dark as in the rest you have to choose from in the bin and going by my method I would guess you bought a roo.

 

[k2chickens]

Quote:
As you can see from the pic this chick isn't very dark...

I mean dark as in the rest you have to choose from in the bin.

So from the pictures of the BR what would be your opinion? She was not the darkest in the bin but she was like an in between. She wasn't very dark and she wasn't the lightest either! She is such an in between in each situation!

 

[Jeff9118]

Well roos are lighter as adults and hens are darker. Males have a double bar gene making them lighter that I personally believe is what makes the down lighter. I would go with the darkest chicks as light and medium tend to be roos. I'm sorry but would guess roo on this one. Go with the blackest ones having the smallest dots on thier heads.

 

[addicted2chicks]

BR pullets are darker than cockerels but at that age going by the color is hard as I had 26 pullets and cockerels as day olds. Wasn't til their barring came in that the lighter/darker was more obvious, from my personal experience. I think the legs on yours is too light and that the spot on the head isn't very definitive to be a pullet. But I could be wrong. I looked through my pics to show you some differences in mine when they were that age, but I was unable to find any that wouldn't make you even more confused.