I didn't know a thing about sexing a young chicken as either a pullet (female) or cockerel (male) until the folks at BYC helped me. Here's what they taught me. First, you really need to find out what breed you're trying to sex. I had two roos of two different breeds, and they looked very different. So check out pics on line of the breeds you have.
Next, pay attention to their behaviors. Roosters act like punk teenage boys (no offense meant to punk teenage boys). They just have a different attitude about them (most of them anyway - some are really sweethearts). Next, the feather patterns on roos are quite different than hens. As a previous post mentioned, they'll usually have pointed tails, glossy "saddle" feathers and very pointed "hackle" feathers. Think of the male cardinal compared to the female. The male's just got more going on. Combs in roos are larger too, and they'll usually crow (at all hours...).
My advice: watch those you think are laying and observe their behaviors. Compare that to the behaviors of those you think are roos. And here's a good trick: pick up one you know is a hen and cuddle with it for a few minutes in front of the others. Set it down a few minutes later. If another bird either attacks you when cuddling the hen or tries to mount the hen when you set it down, that's your roo.
Next, pay attention to their behaviors. Roosters act like punk teenage boys (no offense meant to punk teenage boys). They just have a different attitude about them (most of them anyway - some are really sweethearts). Next, the feather patterns on roos are quite different than hens. As a previous post mentioned, they'll usually have pointed tails, glossy "saddle" feathers and very pointed "hackle" feathers. Think of the male cardinal compared to the female. The male's just got more going on. Combs in roos are larger too, and they'll usually crow (at all hours...).
My advice: watch those you think are laying and observe their behaviors. Compare that to the behaviors of those you think are roos. And here's a good trick: pick up one you know is a hen and cuddle with it for a few minutes in front of the others. Set it down a few minutes later. If another bird either attacks you when cuddling the hen or tries to mount the hen when you set it down, that's your roo.
