White Leghorn 2 weeks - gender please?

[FancyFace]

Age - approx 2 weeks.






Comb largely the same tone as beak atm - tail points both up and down - I've seen both!! It is older than the other chicks here.


(Just for info - the other chicks are a Cream Crested Legbar (left in the final pic) and Hybrid Columbian Blacktail)

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Sorry, they are too young to sex. Post again in a couple weeks.

 

[Blackberry18]

Sorry, they are too young to sex. Post again in a couple weeks.

Agreed.

P.S. Leghorns are an AMAZING chicken breed; actually, they're probably my favorite breed. So friendly!

 

[Priscilla Feathers]

The only way to determine gender at two weeks is to have the chicks professionally vent sexed. There are videos and instructions on how to do that, but I personally wouldn't try it. The chick has to be squeezed to vent sex, and squeezing can injure delicate little chicks. Even professionals kill their fair share of chicks when they vent sex, which is why most delicate or expensive breeds of chicks are sold straight run.

There are some people who claim you can look at wing feathers to determine if a chick is male or female. Supposedly on females, the wing feathers will be long, short, long, short, while rooster wing feathers will all be the same length. But this test has to be done within a few days after they start to get their wing feathers.

Yours have pretty well developed wing feathers so it might not work anymore.

By about four weeks, many roosters will develop their wattle and start to get red in their comb while the girls won't have a wattle yet and the comb won't be pink yet. The boys tend to get their wattle earlier than the girls. But this method isn't quite as accurate since it is totally dependent on how quickly the chick is maturing. By six week, if you have a chick who spends a lot of time squaring off with the other chickens, you may have a rooster.

When the chicks get a bit older, say four months or so, you should be able to tell by looking at their tail feathers (at least on standard chickens, I don't know anything about the development of bantams). Roosters will have feathers near the base of the tail (I believe they are called saddle feathers) that make a gentle curl toward the rear and legs of the rooster. Their saddle feathers are also longer, and more pointing. The feathers at the base of the hen tail will be wider, more rounded, and straight, like the feathers have been nicely brushed out toward the tail.

 

[mellissa]

The only way to determine gender at two weeks is to have the chicks professionally vent sexed. There are videos and instructions on how to do that, but I personally wouldn't try it. The chick has to be squeezed to vent sex, and squeezing can injure delicate little chicks. Even professionals kill their fair share of chicks when they vent sex, which is why most delicate or expensive breeds of chicks are sold straight run.

There are some people who claim you can look at wing feathers to determine if a chick is male or female. Supposedly on females, the wing feathers will be long, short, long, short, while rooster wing feathers will all be the same length. But this test has to be done within a few days after they start to get their wing feathers.

Yours have pretty well developed wing feathers so it might not work anymore.

By about four weeks, many roosters will develop their wattle and start to get red in their comb while the girls won't have a wattle yet and the comb won't be pink yet. The boys tend to get their wattle earlier than the girls. But this method isn't quite as accurate since it is totally dependent on how quickly the chick is maturing. By six week, if you have a chick who spends a lot of time squaring off with the other chickens, you may have a rooster.

When the chicks get a bit older, say four months or so, you should be able to tell by looking at their tail feathers (at least on standard chickens, I don't know anything about the development of bantams). Roosters will have feathers near the base of the tail (I believe they are called saddle feathers) that make a gentle curl toward the rear and legs of the rooster. Their saddle feathers are also longer, and more pointing. The feathers at the base of the hen tail will be wider, more rounded, and straight, like the feathers have been nicely brushed out toward the tail.

Purebred leghorn cockerel at 2 weeks will have a thicker pinkish/red comb, visibly larger and different to barely visible combs on pullets. I only know about purebred leghorns not commercial varieties. Vent sexing after 2 weeks on leghorns should not be necessary as visually different.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Wait until it's 6-8 weeks old. A male Leghorn might show signs a bit before since the breed is quick to mature and have large combs