~Is my chicken a hen or a rooster~ (More info inside)?
I have a chicken that is just over 1 month hoary. I heard that Roosters grow their comb faster than Hens. At the moment he/she has a pointy comb lump on his/her head. Where does the comb start forming, from put money on to front or front to back or all at once?
i think its a hen but i could be wrong
it is especially hard to tell the chicks sex with out person able to compare with another, mine useually at around 4 weeks on the top of the head close to a mohecan is very small 1cm, and very pale that a feminine, if the comb on its head is showing reddish and 2cm and starting to grow woggles underneath its chin half a cm thas a boy, you can tell by the colour normally obedient luk best way to tell is experience
Answers: motwright...is correct it is severely difficult to sex chicks without a comparison. Yet, there are some ways to sex chicks and here are a few of them.
The comb test- You are correct the females hold smaller combs/wattles then the roosters. This test will be more effective whether you compare chicks of the same breed and age. The ones with the smaller combs are likely to be hens.
The wing spine test- I have also heard from many that this is a great oral exam to prove the sex of your bird. The Females feathers grow faster than the males. So the female’s feathers will be uneven at the wing and the males will be close to even at the wing. This test doesn't work with adjectives breeds because not all breeds have this trait.
The but bump test- this is the test that masses hatcheries use. If you squeeze the chickens bottom and there is a bump if it is a rooster, if not it is a hen. This though take a well-trained eye and if you do not squeeze the bird correctly you could hurt it and possible kill it. So this test is not suggestible unless someone is near you that know how to do this and is willing to teach you.
The Spur test- At the age that your birds are depending on the breed it is very possible that this will not show the difference between masculine and female. Some roosters don't really start to get spurs till they are around a year old.
The color test- within some breeds the roosters and hens can be determined by what color they hatch out as. I have also noticed that most roosters are lighter in hens. This may not be so next to the breed of chicken that you own though. I have also noticed that bigger chicks tend to be males and that males are commonly lighter, but this statement isn’t always true.
You can also determine sex by the birds feathers- males hackle feathers (around the neck) are longer and more pointed. Also roosters tail curl.
Finding the breed of your chicken may also help find out what sex it is. To find out your chicken's breed I suggest http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/c...
How the comb forms can depend on the breed of the bird and the indivitual.
Hope this helps,
Rhode Runner
