When can you tell if you have any roo's?

[Victoria-nola]

I have anticipated and re anticipated if/which of my chicks are roos's. I ordered all pullets, but I have suspisions of some being roo's. I was wondering, at what age can I/BYC tell the difference between roo's and pullets? Thank you!

I've kept chickens for 12 years or so now, and recently ordered 10 pullets and 1 turned out to be a roo. The company said, there is only 90% accuracy in the all-pullet order, and that was true in our case. You've gotten plenty of advice here, but I want to add something else. A couple of the girls in our most recent order acted more boldly than the others, so if I had decided when they were all young that I would get rid of the "roos" early, I would have been tossing out a couple of girls as well. There is a range of behaviors in young chicks, and those behaviors can vary with breeds, so I strongly advise against using behavior to make any decisions. Also, there is a range of how early combs come in, and it's not always reliable. Wait until they are older and you can definitely tell.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Spread out the wings, girls will have 2 rows of feathers and rooster only one row. Also they tend to stand more upright. They will also start bobbing their heads and jumping toward each other in practice battles

Female chicks will also bump chests and "practice battle". It's a myth that females don't exhibit that behavior. They are all growing, and learning to use their bodies as they develop is common to all. I don't believe that behaviors are accurate, I've been wrong too many times. You only can be sure when coloration comes in, or the crowing starts.

 

[wkshaddon]

Female chicks will also bump chests and "practice battle". It's a myth that females don't exhibit that behavior. They are all growing, and learning to use their bodies as they develop is common to all. I don't believe that behaviors are accurate, I've been wrong too many times. You only can be sure when coloration comes in, or the crowing starts.

Youre right i have seen the girls do it too. But not in the same manner as my 2 roosters did.

 

[ariri30]

Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet, what do their shoulders look like? Almost all of my cockerels will have bald looking shoulders while the pullets’ wings feather in more completely.

That’s how I sex my chicks and I think it works for me almost always. I have 12 four weeks that I think I have at least two with no shoulder feathers

 

[ChickForLife]

That’s how I sex my chicks and I think it works for me almost always. I have 12 four weeks that I think I have at least two with no shoulder feathers

Right when I got them, at 3 weeks old, I saw one was different. Her/his wings were much smaller with a lot of fluff not feathers. I didn't know how to feather sex then so I couldn't tell. Now that same one is #4. I will post pics of all of them again on Monday with all the same #'s. Thank you for all this info, it is very helpful!

 

[Diane H]

I haven’t done this yet with my own chicks so I don’t have first hand knowledge but there is a way you can fan out the wing feathers and look for an arc and this can be done by five days old.
If the wing feathers make a smooth curve it’s a male. If the ends of the wing feathers make a dip and extra curve it’s a female. I will try and find a picture.

 

[Vicker]

Another sign is their tail feather development. The roosters' will be shorter and less defined when the girls' tails are taking on a more adult looking shape and length. Of course this changes when the boys continue growing and the tail feathers take on the characteristic long and curved appearance.

 

[keesmom]

Right when I got them, at 3 weeks old, I saw one was different. Her/his wings were much smaller with a lot of fluff not feathers. I didn't know how to feather sex then so I couldn't tell. Now that same one is #4. I will post pics of all of them again on Monday with all the same #'s. Thank you for all this info, it is very helpful!

Feather sexing is a sex linked trait that only works for birds bred for it, by crossing a fast feathering male with a slow feathering female. There is a reason why hatcheries have to use vent sexing.

 

[Sadness Child]

Feather sexing is a sex linked trait that only works for birds bred for it, by crossing a fast feathering male with a slow feathering female. There is a reason why hatcheries have to use vent sexing.

the more you know

 

[Simimaus]

I haven’t done this yet with my own chicks so I don’t have first hand knowledge but there is a way you can fan out the wing feathers and look for an arc and this can be done by five days old.
If the wing feathers make a smooth curve it’s a male. If the ends of the wing feathers make a dip and extra curve it’s a female. I will try and find a picture.

I found this online. Haven’t tried it yet