Help sexing Barred Plymouth rock chicks (have a guess!)

[connieconnie]

I have the same trouble But the darker or lighter is mostly noticeable after the feathers grow in, because the males have either more white bars, or wider white bars. It's handy during that in-between time when it's *almost* possible to tell gender by comb size.

Guess I'll just have to be patient Will keep photographing and posting each week, till we can tell!

 

[connieconnie]

So the chicks are now 2 weeks old!
Here are the new photos. All are doing well and healthy, chick 2 is still the runt of the litter (half the size of the others). And chick 1 is still the Godzilla (the biggest one).

Chick 1 (nicknamed Godzilla) - potential Roo? (please tell me I'm wrong, I love this chick) As has more yellow coloring in beak and legs and the most defined stripes in feathering, however is at least a day ahead in development, very confident and loves people

Chick 2 (nicknamed Dodo as she/he is not the smartest) - potential Roo? (the families favorite so please tell me I'm wrong again) As also has more yellow coloring in beak and legs, although generally darker in baby feathering, I this is because they're just so much smaller than the others, also some of the feathers just coming through are almost all white... Which the others all came through black.

Chick 3 (no nickname yet) - potential hen? - Very sweet and docile, darker legs and beak with mostly black feathering,very little white.

Chick 4 (no nickname yet) - potential hen? Little more shy and skittish than the others, but second biggest chick, darker legs and beak with mostly black feathering, some white.

I am guessing here, so would really appreciate other's opinions! Thank you Will keep photographing them every week till we know if they're hens or roos

 

[NatJ]

I'm not sure about #2.
Based on the amount of white in the feathers, I agree with your guesses on the other three.

 

[connieconnie]

So they're now 3 weeks old!

Chick 1 - top of the pecking order - potential Roo? As pretty chunky, clear barring and confident

Chick 2 - still the smallest, the last to develop wing feathers, spunky, despite being the slowest to develop already has a the biggest comb, the only chick for their first wings feathers to actually come out majority white (all others started off 100%black) - potential Roo?

Chick 3 - the most docile and calm, bottom of the pecking order, fully black wing feathers that developed first and fast, no white barring yet - Pretty sure this one is a hen

Chick 4 - last born, but second biggest, pretty flightly in comparison to the others, doesn't settle easy, less barring in feathering than chick 1 and 2 but still have white parts to feather (although majority is black) - hoping this one is a hen, but have a bad feeling it's another Roo

what do you think? Would love to here others opinions!

 

[connieconnie]

The chicks are now 4 weeks old!

Thinking we have 2 cockerels and 2 hens What's your opinion? Do you agree?

Here are the photos:

CHICK 1 - Godzilla - potential male

CHICK 2 - Dodo - definite male

CHICK 3 - Pepper - definite female

CHICK 4 - Piri Piri - potential female

 

[connieconnie]

Here they are together Birdseye view:

 

[NatJ]

I'm pretty sure #1 Godzilla is a male (look at those red wattles!).
I agree that #2 Dodo is male and #3 Pepper is female.
I agree with you that #4 Piri Piri isn't easy to tell right now, but I'm leaning toward male for that one. A few more weeks will probably make it clear.

I'm really appreciating the regular updates: makes it much easier to learn for the future, when I can see how each chick progresses!

 

[connieconnie]

I'm pretty sure #1 Godzilla is a male (look at those red wattles!).
I agree that #2 Dodo is male and #3 Pepper is female.
I agree with you that #4 Piri Piri isn't easy to tell right now, but I'm leaning toward male for that one. A few more weeks will probably make it clear.

I'm really appreciating the regular updates: makes it much easier to learn for the future, when I can see how each chick progresses!

Thank you so much for the reply!

Yeah, It's kind of wishful thinking of mind that Piri Piri is a female But I can hope

 

[TT43]

Hold them up and see if their legs hang or if they bring them up to abdomen. Supposedly, if they hand they are female and vice-versa.

 

[connieconnie]

Hold them up and see if their legs hang or if they bring them up to abdomen. Supposedly, if they hand they are female and vice-versa.

I'll try that!