Perhaps the most difficult thing when hatching, buying or selling chicks, is sexing them. Of course, with most breeds of chicken, it is easy to tell adult roos and hens apart, but sometimes, it can be very hard to tell male and female chicks apart... Note the word Sometimes...
Some breeds of chicken have been specially bred to auto sex. What is autosexing, you may ask, well, autosexing is sexing by simply looking at the day-old chick, and distinguishing specific traits that are different between male and female.
Dorkings, for example, are an autosexing breed. The male day-olds (in blue), are a lighter brown with slightly smaller white stripes, whereas, the females (in pink), are darker with slightly larger white stripes.
There are many autosexing breeds of chickens, but sometimes, you can't get your hands on an autosexing breed, so you have to use other methods. Vent sexing is the most accurate sexing method, but if you don't know what you are doing, you can end up hurting, or possibly killing a chick.
There are a few methods I know of, starting with the "wing method" (as I call it).
With the "wing method," you have to be gentle, or you could end up hurting the chick. The wing method starts by fanning out the wing fully, and observing the stems. Of the stems of the wing are in an in and out pattern, then the chick is a female, if there stems are in one curve and all the stems line up, then it is a roo.
This chick is a cockerel (male)
Whereas this one is a pullet (female)
There is another method I use, and I call it the "hang method." In the "hang method," you simply grab the chick by the scruff of the neck, and pick it up. Of the chick struggles without stopping, it is a cockerel, whereas, if it just hangs there after a few kicks, it is a pullet.
This one is a pullet
This one is a cockerel
There are some other ways to sex chicks at home, but the most accurate ones are listed above. The best way is to get a breed that you know is autosexing, but those aren't always available. I hope this article is helpful, and please remember to always be careful when using any sexing method, so no chicks get hurt.
Some breeds of chicken have been specially bred to auto sex. What is autosexing, you may ask, well, autosexing is sexing by simply looking at the day-old chick, and distinguishing specific traits that are different between male and female.
Dorkings, for example, are an autosexing breed. The male day-olds (in blue), are a lighter brown with slightly smaller white stripes, whereas, the females (in pink), are darker with slightly larger white stripes.
There are many autosexing breeds of chickens, but sometimes, you can't get your hands on an autosexing breed, so you have to use other methods. Vent sexing is the most accurate sexing method, but if you don't know what you are doing, you can end up hurting, or possibly killing a chick.
There are a few methods I know of, starting with the "wing method" (as I call it).
With the "wing method," you have to be gentle, or you could end up hurting the chick. The wing method starts by fanning out the wing fully, and observing the stems. Of the stems of the wing are in an in and out pattern, then the chick is a female, if there stems are in one curve and all the stems line up, then it is a roo.
This chick is a cockerel (male)
Whereas this one is a pullet (female)
There is another method I use, and I call it the "hang method." In the "hang method," you simply grab the chick by the scruff of the neck, and pick it up. Of the chick struggles without stopping, it is a cockerel, whereas, if it just hangs there after a few kicks, it is a pullet.
This one is a pullet
This one is a cockerel
There are some other ways to sex chicks at home, but the most accurate ones are listed above. The best way is to get a breed that you know is autosexing, but those aren't always available. I hope this article is helpful, and please remember to always be careful when using any sexing method, so no chicks get hurt.
