Is my chicken a boy or girl?

Hi,

First time chicken owner here and I have 1 cochin, 4 buffs, and 2 aracanas. I have figured out the cochin as a boy due to the comb and the compulsive need to crow. 1 girl buff and 3 boys from what I can tell. The girl has grey legs and a pale pink short comb and the boys have dark red combs and a different leg color.The aracanas have me stumped unless they are both girls. The chickens were from 1 week to 1 day old when I got them. My big question is how do I tell if my aracanas are girls? Our goal was to have enough eggs for the family but so far the experience has been fun.

Sometimes you can't tell until they crow--or lay an egg. I don't have araucanas--are yours actual araucanas or ameraucanas?

I was told they were araucanas but I really don't know the difference between araucanas and americaunas. I hope I don't offend chicken lovers with my ignorance. Do you know when they start to lay eggs? Really, I was wondering last night if they had a Raising Chickens for Dummies book out there. I should have read up more on the basics but I figured I have done fine seeing they are all still alive.

They usually start laying about 20-23 weeks. Araucanas don't have tails--Ameraucanas do. It is not quite that simply--but that is an easy way to tell. Both can lay blue eggs.

If you go on Amazon there are a lot of good books for beginners. Ones by Luttman and Damerow are especially good.

A good link with basic information is: http://www.mypetchicken.com/eBook.aspx

there is no such thing as a dumb question. ask away usually you will get an answer real quick. I am just learning and I have had lots of help from these wonderful people here.

Does anybody know the details of vent sexing for chicks? I have been told it's possible to tell that way. There ought to be pictures or something so we can all learn. They say it is a matter for the "experts" but I figure we can all become experts if we look at enough chick butts!

hmmmmmmm dont they have to be day old to check? and I am not looking at chicken butts.

Well I have been because of those OEGs that I had with the mites, and I kept having to put vaseline on their vents, so I am getting used to looking at them!

Oh, you don't want to do that!

There is an excellent little book by Stromberg on sexing fowl including vent sexing. The problem for me, aside from the fact that it is exceelingly difficult and not at all clear cut (at best 90% with a real artists looking), is that you are suppose to "sacrifice" thousands of chicks to verify your id and gain proficiency. There appears to be no other way. You have to open them up and look for the internal organs!

Tf and I are working on external phenotypic markers for sex--there are some that are very accurate for certain breeds. If I get it together I'll post our findings to date.

Here is a source for the Stromberg book--it is toward the bottom of the page. He is sort of the old go to guy for chick and fowl sexing:

http://www.strombergschickens.com/books/veterinary_books.php

lol ok yea i can see your point of view there. what is an OEG?

Oh, no sacrifice going on here! But if I could try, I could keep records on which chick I thought was M/F from a vent check, and see if I could at least come out 70% or something. I mean, if I was keeping the chicks until I knew they were roos from comb, etc, then I would know without sacrificing them.

The problem with my chicks is that the mom is supposedly a "likely" Dark Cornish/Black Australorp cross to begin with, and she was housed with 3 roos. I don't know what markers to look for. About half the chicks do have a yellowish spot on their heads, and some of those seem to be getting bigger faster than the others, and have thicker legs. But, they also got butt feathers sooner, which I thought was a hen thing. The yellow spots are different sizes and intensities.

Old English Game. They are bantams.

I am learning so much, I thought roos, got them big combs and big waddles and hens were the smaller ones. Now I am learning about bottom of feet color and earlobs for what breed. To much information, I am on overload.

Ok I got what the OEG is.

Claire, pictures will help. get some zip ties at the hardware store, mixed colors. then taek your best guess, left leg for boys, right for girls, and you can use the colors to identify other characteristics like the size and shape of the spot on the head, or the tial feathers, the thickness of legs, etc. write it all down, and you will have learend how importatnt these observations really are.

i think it is the cornish in her, [thought it would be nice to know the breeds of the roos] that is the slow feathering gene, and that is messing with the tail feather notions...

GM, that would be a great book, i think we could all contribute to writing it! For your chickens, perhaps behavioral observation would be best...

Get the Stomberg book, Claire. It shows all the variables for males and females in nice little graphics. It is more an art than a science. Maybe you have the gift!

The problem with sex-linked markers is that they are variable between breeds and even strains within breeds. Although my Barnevelders all showed the sex-linked difference in breast color at hatching, the difference in feathering was much more pronouced in one strain than the other. My second hatch of roos wandered around for a couple months without their upper wing feathers (the pullets fully fledged normally). I don't remember noticing that with the first hatch from a different source.

It is a mystery.

Don't know if this is already covered or totally debunked myth, but I only have had chicks with barred rock genes and have always had some with a yellow spot on the head. And the rooster with the most girls typically has the reddest feet, at least in my flock (it switches around seemingly according to popularity). So...

Does your barred rock have redder feet than the other two? If so this might be a good guestimation from which to start investigation.

yes they do all have the spot, that indiactes they are barred, not pure black. i was hoping catscan would find that thread and pop it up for you. i have pics and everything of my barred chicks, and you can see the difference in the spot. takes a little practice...

My chicks feet and legs are all either yellowish or brownish. Sort of yellowish with a darker front to them is what I mean by brownish. I don't think any of them have any red to their feet.

when there is a cross, the roo chicks will have ":multi-colored" legs, depending on the cross of course. so sounds like the brownish could be it.

i think she meant the roo who is doing the breeding gets red on his legs?

now gotta look for red feet. I want BR's also. Once i get the coop finished this weekend I will have them separated a little.

frnakly i sitll don't udnerstand the red feet thing...

I ordered the Stromberg book from Amazon. Thanks for that tip. I will do the pix on the chicks - wings, heads, and legs, for detail!

None of my roosters have red feet but some have little harems!

MollyD

no red feet in my clan.

Catscan - your link is great! Thanks alot. If we eventually decide to hatch out some eggs should we be concerned with all the different types of chickens being in the same coop? Should we separate them to preserve the breed? There is an amazing wealth of information on this site. Thanks everyone who responded.

my guess is that your came froma hatchery or farm store, and since none of those three breeds are endangered, i wouldn't be particularly concerned about mixing them up. some folks think its fun, esp guessing who the roo is!!!

but if you want pure breeds, they will need to be separated with their own roo for one month, then gather eggs to test for fertillity. start about Jan, and by March you should have purebreeds hatching...

frankly you will have more fertile eggs if you let the girls pick their own guy...

Just FYI, I tried that book for sexing quail, pheasant, etc. I was not smart enough, nor did I have the time to 'figure it out'. Decided to wait for the feathers, colors & combs. Never even ventured into trying it on the chickens.

Claire, if you figure out what the secret is, please do tell. My only problem is, I can't visualize much from reading or being told (personal defect?); usually need to 'do it myself' to get it. esp with something that.....er, small

at what age can young layers start breeding?

I'm asking because I want a total of four hens... thinking that if any of my current four are roos...maybe I can keep him long enough to mate him with one of the hens (hoping I have at least ONE hen now! ) and let her hatch those eggs to replace the roo who will need to be re-homed.

gosh I hope all that made sense! lol! basically at what age is safe to start mating hens and roos?

Just caught up with the thread (ish). The red feet thing - It seems to be a virility issue? My roos have that standard grey BSL coloring like the mother, but as they mature they get a little pink blushing between the toes. When they get a girl or two it starts to darken, much like their combs and wattles will darken with maturity but not quite as red. At one point we were down to about 16 hens, three roos. Mr. Popularity was definitely the cock of the walk. the color of his skin around his toes nearly as dark as his wattle. Next was my favorite. When he only had about 3 hens his feet were pink tinged. Then I noticed his harem was up to 5 and his feet only slightly less vivid than his brother's. The least popular blond (platinum?!kelly?!) was just barely pink at all- only had 2 hens that kept company with him. I'll try to get a camera and post pics -but don't hold your breath. I'm talking about the skin on the soles of their feet and around the perimeter. When they get really popular it appears a little up the backs of their legs.

Don't tell me this was some dire disease I misdiagnosed as virility?! I could have, but would much rather not have:-)

This message was edited Aug 15, 2008 8:34 AM

Grow, that is a neat. Mine are to young to be a sire yet. They are not even attempting at crowing yet.

PeaFowlAnjl - I posted a compilation of head spot pictures from my chicks on my "Guess the Roo Game" thread. I am figuring that because they have barred rock genes (I think) maybe that is representative of something.

I will take a look at the book when I get it and see what I think. I'm not sure if it will be of any help to me, but I will give it a whirl and see how it goes.

Claire

Mine are crowing. Some are attempting to crow and sound more like they're yelling whoopty Do!
I've noticed that they've divided the hens among themselves but since there are more roos than hens some guys are out of luck. They keep trying to mount the hens but the gals yell and round out of their clutches. Lots of feathers fly at those moments. I guess things will settle down in another month or so when we butcher the extra roos.

MollyD

This is something I have been considering. Do I have it in me to butcher the roos? I don't want to keep roos. I don't want a constantly expanding flock and I don't want the noise. I have a bantie roo but he's pretty quiet overall. How old do they have to be before you can (gulp) eat them. Maybe if I don't give them names I can do it.

Claire we only named the ones we knew we wanted to keep. Makes things less personal that way. Mine hatched 5/5/08 and should be ready to butcher around the end of September or early October. I just started feeding corn so they'll fatten up some.

MollyD

I think butchering excess roos is inevitable. Something is going to butcher them--either you, the dog, a wild predator or the buyers at the auction house.

I have managed to re-home 8 roos to 3 "non-eating" homes and at least 2 were promptly eaten by something. Broke the owners heart. I am now aiming for humane treatment until the inevitable end. The only ones I feel bad about are the three I took to the auction house. I have no control there. I think I would feel better keeping them at home until butchering day and then having them butchered professionally and either eating them (maybe not) or giving the meat to the needy.

Today I was preparing myself to take two who had started crowing to the auction--when one of my colleagues who took two rooster last week said he would be glad to take two more. Now I have one Marans and four Barnevelder roos left--none crowing yet, all listed on CraigsList. No takers.

Anyone looking for some nice roos?

sorry, i am full up on roos... found a home for my Splash today...

This message was edited Aug 16, 2008 2:10 AM

Good idea! Although I will be keeping what I have left at this point ~ too old? Attached to them, I guess LOL Even think I can re-intro the WCP once all his head feathers back in. If not, will re-think that one.

Cheryl ~ Pea

oh... you mean a CHICKEN FAIRY thread! tee hee!