WHAT AGE TO SEX CHICKENS?

[dastardlydeed]

i hate to bore everyone with the same old questions, maybe one of the mods can highlight a thread or two in which it is clear, at what age can you tell the sex of a chicken? Or must you actually wait and see who lays eggs?

 

[coffeemama]

It depends on the breed. Some are sex linked-single combs are easier to tell early on-ect.

 

[gritsar]

If you are talking about doing it yourself and you're not a wing sexing or vent sexing expert, the first secondary sex characteristics start showing up around four to six weeks. That is the earliest you can expect to take an educated guess and be right about it.
The sex-links being the exception to that rule.
Here, this might help:

according to UC Davis Veterinary Care Program.
2. Physical Characteristics (4-6 weeks of age)
a. Comb – The cockerels comb is medium size and pinkish, the pullets is small and yellowish.
b. Legs – The cockerel’s legs are sturdy and long, the pullets are finer and shorter.
c. Tail – The cockerel’s tail is stumpy and curved, the pullets is longer and straight.
d. Back – The cockerel has a thin line of stub feathers down the center of his back, the pullet has more advanced feathering along the center of her back.
e. Side of neck, flank and crop – The feathering in the cockerel in these areas is poorly advanced, the pullets feathering in these areas is well advanced.
f. Wing bows – In the cockerel the wing bows are bare, in pullets the wing bows are covered with small feathers.

 

[dastardlydeed]

well my bantam ameracaunas are about 8 weeks. some have very obvious larger bright red crests, some have smaller bright red crests and some have none. obviously the ones with none seem to be female but what about the ones inbtwn?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Don't look at just the combs. Look at the chick's entire body and compare to that list above. The ones with the bigger combs and the sparse feathering and the thicker legs will usually turn out to be your roos.