Sexing chicks can involve knowing their parents' sex-linked traits for feathering and coloring.
One of the most difficult tasks for chicken breeders is that of sexing young chicks. Numerous credible sources on this subject can be found on the Internet, many from leading agricultural institutions, including the University of Arkansas, Mississippi State University, the University of California-Davis and Ithaca College. They offer easy-to-understand information on sexing newborn chicks including charts and tables with color illustrations for popular breed-specific identification. Yet, sexing young chicks is a difficult task with most breeds. Odds increase for determining the sex correctly when secondary sex characteristics arise after they are several weeks old.
Instructions
1. Vent sex the chicks. This relies on carefully handling the chicks and using acute visual skills to identify the different shapes of the sex organs. This method is usually reserved for well-trained experts as there are over 15 different shapes to consider in observation.
2. Observe the overall color. Using sex-linked color traits based on the parents' coloration is an accurate method, even from the first day the chicks are born.
3. Observe the downy feathers. Feather sexing is based on differences in feather characteristics at hatch time. These differences are easy to see and vary depending on the particular chick strain. An example of a difference in feather characteristics is that, In many breeds, the males will have longer wing pinfeathers than females.
4. Watch your chicks grow. This is the easiest way to tell the hen and rooster apart, albeit it takes the longest. Females generally have smaller combs, males larger and shinier; female tail feathers are more rounded on the ends, and males' more pointed; and, of course, females will start to lay eggs and males will crow.
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