Help! Pullets or Cockerels?

[VGreen0826]

We are new to the chicken world. When my little one finished her Leukemia treatments, I asked what she wanted to do and she said she wanted chickens! So.... here we are! We are now proud owners of 4 baby chicks! She (and I) couldn't be more in love! She picked 1 Midnight Majesty Maran (black chick), 1 Cinnamon Queen (redish chick), and 2 Easter Eggers (brown chick and whiteish chick) - We got them a week ago so they're over 1 week old, but not 100% sure how old exactly.

She came to me today upset because she's worried the Maran and Cinnamon Queen may be males (of course, her two favorites) because they have no tail feathers yet and they have shorter wing feather lengths than the Easter Eggers, and the Easter Eggers already have little tail feathers. I tried the whole vent sexing technique but honestly can't really tell a difference in all of the videos and they squirm so much, I'm scared to hurt them. We were told they were all pullets because they're "sex-linked", but my daughter tends to think otherwise.

Are any of you able to guess by the photos if they're males or females? Or too early to tell? Any advice or suggestions would be amazing! I'm trying to put her mind at ease but I can't tell for the life of me. Thanks so much in advance!

 

[The Moonshiner]

That tail feather growth sexing doesn't work. Quit trying to vent sex them before you do hurt them.
MMMs are sex links. Males are barred females aren't.
CQs are also sex linked. Females have the reddish tones and males are more yellow.
In theory those two are females. That's if they're the correct breeds. Feed stores are really screwing up breeds this year so hopefully they got yours correct.

 

[HoneyBeeHomestead]

Hello! Welcome to BYC! Different breeds feather out at different stages and speeds. Vent sexing can't be done after the chicks are a few days old. Cinnamon queen cockerels are white, so you have a pullet. And Majsty Maran cockerels are barred so she looks like a pullet as well. Congratulations on the new chicks!

 

[VGreen0826]

That tail feather growth sexing doesn't work. Quit trying to vent sex them before you do hurt them.
MMMs are sex links. Males are barred females aren't.
CQs are also sex linked. Females have the reddish tones and males are more yellow.
In theory those two are females. That's if they're the correct breeds. Feed stores are really screwing up breeds this year so hopefully they got yours correct.

Thank you for the help. I appreciate it.

 

[VGreen0826]

Hello! Welcome to BYC! Different breeds feather out at different stages and speeds. Vent sexing can't be done after the chicks are a few days old. Cinnamon queen cockerels are white, so you have a pullet. And Majsty Maran cockerels are barred so she looks like a pullet as well. Congratulations on the new chicks!

Thank you! That was helpful.

 

[Barnymommy]

Wait a couple weeks and keep an eye out for the combs. Thick and red are more than likely cockerels. Congratulations on completing treatment! Hope you’re ok me keeping yall in my prayers!
Someone else might know something I don’t but keep us updated!!

 

[redinator]

Congratulations on getting through the treatments I can't imagine going through that now as an adult . . .you must have a determined chick (the human kind, lol) on your hands.

Now about vent sexing . . . it should only be preformed by professionals, and only on chicks under 1 day old . . .unskilled individuals can cause a prolapse.

Those cute fluff balls are too small to tell yet, but around 4 weeks, sometimes sooner, some times later . . . the males will start getting larger darker combs and feather patterns start to emerge around 6-8 weeks that will help tell the boys from the girls.

 

[VGreen0826]

Congratulations on getting through the treatments I can't imagine going through that now as an adult . . .you must have a determined chick (the human kind, lol) on your hands.

Now about vent sexing . . . it should only be preformed by professionals, and only on chicks under 1 day old . . .unskilled individuals can cause a prolapse.

Those cute fluff balls are too small to tell yet, but around 4 weeks, sometimes sooner, some times later . . . the males will start getting larger darker combs and feather patterns start to emerge around 6-8 weeks that will help tell the boys from the girls.

Thanks! Yeah, I got about as far as turning them over to look at their vent and that was about as far as it went. LOL. They squirm and I was too scared.

 

[redinator]

Thanks! Yeah, I got about as far as turning them over to look at their vent and that was about as far as it went. LOL. They squirm and I was too scared.

I found out they can flutter out of your hand at 3 days old . . . I nearly had a heart attack . . . the chick landed on my dog who just stood there and waited for me to grab it, lol . . .they are squirmy little rascals.

I don't know if this is true for all chicks but mine squirmed less if I turned then belly up, rather than butt up . .if that makes sense . . .it's helpful if you're looking for injuries . . .a better description might be: back parallel to the ground, rather than head perpendicular to the ground.