Roo, or not to roo...Chickie's mom? Lot's of pics!!!

[MontyJ]

Here are pics of the fighters. The first 5 are randome pics DW took:

We then caught each one for mug shots:

Suspect one: You can just see the evil brewing here:

Suspect two: Fighting? Not me, look how cute I am...

Suspect three: Hey, if he's innocent, I'm innocent.

And something else I found of interest. The fighters all have much longer tail feathers than the others:

I didn't catch the third one, but trust me, it also has long tail feathers. The other three 'lorps have much shorter tail feathers.

So, do I have three roos here? It's no big deal if they are. I called another friend of mine. His wife loves chickens and they have acreage. She said she will gladly take any roosters I may have.

 

[baymule]

They look like roos to me! I just butchered 9 out of 20 chicks I got at Christmas that were roos. They were on death row, then off to an extended vacation at freezer camp! Why would you send them to someone else and not butcher them, unless you are getting rid of them now to save yourself the hassle of raising them.

 

[catjac1975]

Roos!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

oooh, definite roo in #1! where the comb begins before the nostrils is a huge clue to me, and those red wattles too. also look at how curved the beak is, there's a hook to it
#2 looks possible but you are right, does look too cute and very feminine to me at this point. the comb seems to start after the nostrils so i would just watch this one carefully. it could be a dominant hen when it is older.
#3 is a little tough for me to tell also. i'd sit back and give this one another week to be sure. potential cockerels get red in the face sooner than pullets. red and long wattles are also very noticeable at an early age vs the pullets. pullets get 'red in the face' when they are close to laying age so they tend to remain pink in the comb and wattles for a long time.

i would compare the thickness of the legs on those last 2 to culprit #1 since i am sure that one is a boy. if they are slender and his are thick, they are probably pullets. i've always noticed that cockerels tend to feather in slower than pullets. especially in the areas of the back between wing shoulders and the front of the chest.

 

[897tgigvib]

These are the ones you just got that were little fuzzballs like...last week it seems?

 

[digitS']

The grow really, really quickly, Marshall.

Take a look at Tables 1 & 3 for age in weeks and body weight. If you are going to enjoy them as chicks, it is only in the first couple of weeks. They then turn into . . . something else.

. . . i would compare the thickness of the legs on those last 2 to culprit #1 since i am sure that one is a boy. if they are slender and his are thick, they are probably pullets. i've always noticed that cockerels tend to feather in slower than pullets. especially in the areas of the back between wing shoulders and the front of the chest.

That is interesting about the development of feathers, Chickie'sMoma.

MontyJ, the legs were my big clue but I never had many chickens nor went thru many chicks in a season. That may have been one reason I had an interest in sex-link traits for the chicks. I didn't want to be sitting around scratching my head in Consternation after raising them. (Consternation is just across the border .)

Steve

 

[Ridgerunner]

Agree with the first one. Definitely a rooster with those wattles.

How old are they? Maybe 4 weeks with that feathering? I can see wattles starting on the second and third ones and with those combs Im thinking rooster for both. But yeah, they need to grow some more before you do anything dramatic. Its still early with them. How do the wattles compare with the ones you think are pullets? Also how do the combs compare?

I also agree the legs are a huge clue. Heavy thick ones usually mean a rooster. Again, compare them to the pullets.

The photos that help me determine sex are the shot of the head that shows comb and wattles, usually a bit from the side is better. But also a side shot showing it standing where you can see the legs and general posture and body conformation help a lot too.

Ive seen pullets fight with roosters even up into adolescence so I dont put a lot of faith in them fighting. Its a dominance thing and they are setting the pecking order. Fighting is a clue, but not really definitive.

At this age its often more clues than certainty, but those wattles on the first one is evidence enough for me.

 

[897tgigvib]

How do the hatcheries determine the sex of the chicks? I notice some breeds are straight run only and others are offered as what they call sexed. I guess some breeds the professionals can tell right away. Is that it?

 

[digitS']

They have people who check the vents.

Sexual organs are internal. It must take a trained eye to know quickly.

Those folks look at day-old checks probably by the thousands, each day.

It must take a good light . . . and safety codes:

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

They can tell by the wing feathers on day old chicks. I would guess the straight-run is because those breeds are impossible to tell. It could just be economics as the roos only have value for meat birds for some breeds. I read a post on BYC where a woman says she can predict the sex of a chick by the shape of the egg and has a 99-100 percent success rate. I don't know.....