Baby chicks fighting like roosters

[Maiahr]

Excuse my ignorance, but I have a question about baby chicks. These are my first chicks ever (never had chicken before) and I am not sure what to think. I have chicks that are 15 days old today. Some of them fight like roosters - they jump and hit each other in the chest. The question is: Those that fight like roosters, are they male or females fight the same way too? In other words - can I identify male/female by looking at who's fighting and who isn't?

 

[centrarchid]

Males do it most, but the activity is far from exclusively a male thing. What breed is involved?

 

[Matilda Belle]

Females do it too. I had a hen named "Roo" because I swore at that age she was male since she did a lot of chest bumping. Come to find out, she was just a very dominant pullet.

 

[Maiahr]

My largest group (30+) are cross-breeds or Heinz57 . I am trying to identify their gender as I will be giving them away soon. BUT I have 2 Leghorns - my first and only Leghorns - 28 days old now and they are fighting the same way and I am almost 90% sure one of them is female.

 

[FortCluck]

Chicks do that. It's more establishing who they are in the flock. Mine are doing it at 5 days old, it doesn't mean that they'll all be Cockerels.

 

[Maiahr]

THANK YOU! After hearing it from 3 witnesses (very Biblical ) , that is all so relieving , I was concerned I have ended up with 25 cockerels

 

[sean_wonder]

Just something chicks do regardless. All mine were girls and they had a fighting phase. Just trying to establish dominance or, like FortCluck stated much more eloquently, figuring out who they are in their current social setting

 

[Matilda Belle]

THANK YOU! After hearing it from 3 witnesses (very Biblical ) , that is all so relieving , I was concerned I have ended up with 25 cockerels

If you have my horrible luck, you will have 20/25 cockerels.

 

[FortCluck]

THANK YOU! After hearing it from 3 witnesses (very Biblical ) , that is all so relieving , I was concerned I have ended up with 25 cockerels

If I recorded mine and showed you the behavior, I'm sure you're seeing the same thing. I take it as they are playing and just establishing who they are in the chick flock.

They're so fun to watch!

 

[Maiahr]

If you have my horrible luck, you will have 20/25 cockerels.

Well, unless they are Bantams if I had 20/25 cockerels I would be well and happy. We had the same discussion in another thread - here cockerels that are just about to start (but not yet) crowing are considered to make the tastiest soup, so their price triples as they approach 4-5 months of age (just before they start crowing) and then as soon as they start crowing, the price drops down. I am not sure what I will end up with, but even if the majority are cockerels, we will be eating a lot of delicacysen (I know such word does not exist soup