what is the sex of my chicks!!!

[barry2k15]

i have 10 4 5 week old chicks and I need to know if they are male or female ..anybody know any way of telling. the breeds are red hybrid.. buff Orpington, leghorn and rodh island red .. please help me ..

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

i have 10 4 5 week old chicks and I need to know if they are male or female ..anybody know any way of telling. the breeds are red hybrid.. buff Orpington, leghorn and rodh island red .. please help me ..

Welcome to BYC - at 4-5 weeks of age you can just start to get an idea of gender on some birds and others will still be up in the air for a few more weeks. Your best option is to take photos of the birds and post them here as there are several characteristics that can be evaluated to get an idea of gender and sometimes those with more experience are able to better interpret what is being seen. There are different things that can be seen at each stage of development - early signs are the growth and color of combs and wattles, the comparative posture and build, etc - weeks later the development of feathering differences in the saddle and hackle area is a key indicator. The "red hybrid" - may be a red sex link cross and, if so, then the difference is that males would feather in white and females feather in red with varying degrees of white markings - but there are non sex linked birds sometimes marketed as a "insert color hybrid" - were they ordered from a hatchery where we might be able to read the breed descriptor to see if these birds are, in fact, a sex linked cross?

 

[BantamLover21]

Welcome to BYC - at 4-5 weeks of age you can just start to get an idea of gender on some birds and others will still be up in the air for a few more weeks. Your best option is to take photos of the birds and post them here as there are several characteristics that can be evaluated to get an idea of gender and sometimes those with more experience are able to better interpret what is being seen. There are different things that can be seen at each stage of development - early signs are the growth and color of combs and wattles, the comparative posture and build, etc - weeks later the development of feathering differences in the saddle and hackle area is a key indicator. The "red hybrid" - may be a red sex link cross and, if so, then the difference is that males would feather in white and females feather in red with varying degrees of white markings - but there are non sex linked birds sometimes marketed as a "insert color hybrid" - were they ordered from a hatchery where we might be able to read the breed descriptor to see if these birds are, in fact, a sex linked cross?

x2

 

[barry2k15]

any body have any idea if these are male or female they are 4-5 weeks old

 

[junebuggena]

Pictures taken in natural light without a flash are the best way to get a shot of what we need to see. A clear shot of the comb and a good side view are most helpful to determine sex.

 

[barry2k15]

but looking at that picture can you determain the sex

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

but looking at that picture can you determain the sex

Definitively? No.
Unfortunately, the lighting is such that it's difficult to really judge the amount of color in the comb that is shown to be developing on the birds and head shots alone are not really sufficient - they are one part of the puzzle, but the other part is to see the bird in a natural, standing position from the side so that the entire bird can be seen.