What are the early signs to distinguish roosters from hens.

[mstazs]

I am new to chickens. I have 5 chickens that are 17 weeks old and 14 chicks that are 2 weeks old. My goal is to have 12 laying hens. I have read alot here on BYC about what to look for and believe none of my 17 week old chickens are roosters. I would like to get a jump on telling which of my 2 week old chicks are roosters or hens. They are a mutt mix. So what are the general rules about sexing them at a young age? I would appreciate any info.

 

[Danceswithchicks]

I don't have a link, but you can search on the internet for how to tell chick genders. I know that it involves placing your finger in its bottom. You might want to wait until it's older.

 

[Uppity Peon]

An expert can tell by looking at the cloaca of a hatchling while applying just the right pressure on the abdomen to expose the male parts, but it is only about 90% accurate at best. Careful, you could easily hurt or kill a hatchling trying this.

For the rest of us, we have to look for other signs to appear, and it varies by breed:

Males tend to feather out a bit later.
Males tend to have larger legs.
Males tend to get bigger redder combs.
Males eventually develop pointier and showier "hackle" feathers around the cape and "saddle" feathers coming off the lower back and draping over the base of the tail.
Some cockerels start trying to crow in their first few weeks but most do not.

These signs may not become evident until the chicks are 5 - 10 weeks old.

 

[gritsar]

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.

 

[faykokoWV]

what part of the wing is the "wing bow"

 

[HippieChickens]

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[gritsar]

Quote:
Look at the chick from above. With their wings held in the natural position against the body, the wing bows are the rounded part at the top of the wing, i.e., the shoulders.

 

[HippieChickens]

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[mstazs]

Thanks for the info. And I also need to get a picture of a chicken to see all the things I should look for. I mowed the yard today & it great seeing my girls jumping all over the bugs I flushed out. Again thanks for the info.

 

[faykokoWV]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=207665

check out this link, its pretty informative