Roosters are larger than hens and tend to behave more aggressively.
If you are planning to breed chickens for show or keep chickens for eggs, it is important to be able to tell the roosters from the hens. Hens lay eggs, while the primary role of a rooster is to defend its flock. Identifying roosters allows you to remove non-layers from your flock, and it cuts down on the noise level produced by your birds. Chickens can be visually sexed by the time they are four to six weeks old.
Instructions
1. Look at the comb and wattle on the chicken's head. The comb is a fleshy piece of skin, and in roosters, it is larger and more developed than the combs on the hens. The wattle is the bare skin dangling beneath the chicken's beak, and it is larger on roosters than it is on hens.
2. Compare the size of the chicken to that of other chickens of the same age and breed. Roosters are larger and heavier than hens.
3. Look at the chicken's body shape. Roosters are more angular than hens, especially around the head. Hens tend to be rounder.
4. Examine the chicken's tail feathers. Roosters have long, arching tail feathers, while hens have shorter tail feathers that are rounded at the ends.
5. Listen for crowing. Roosters crow early in the morning. Though hens may crow as well, they usually stop after they start laying.
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