New to Chicks

[ChickMama268]

Hi Everyone.
I accidentally fell into raising backyard chickens when I agreed to continue incubating unhatched eggs after the mama abandoned them. This resulted in two of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen. So now I’m all in for being a Chick Mama. But where we live, we are only allowed to have hens. I think my two are girls but need to ask all of your opinions. The brown one is Candy Cane and the yellow/white one is Dreidel.

 

[sourland]

Hoping that both are pullets.

 

[Ilovechickens2525]

How old are they? Unfortunately I’m getting roo vibes from the white one but not sure…

 

[ChickMama268]

How old are they? Unfortunately I’m getting roo vibes from the white one but not sure…

They are 4 weeks old

 

[ChickMama268]

How old are they? Unfortunately I’m getting roo vibes from the white one but not sure…

What are you seeing? I’ve been trying to learn how to tell

 

[User690263]

Welcome to BYC! Feel free to make yourself right at home

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are you seeing? I’ve been trying to learn how to tell

It is not an exact science. Different chicks can give different indications. Some are easy to tell at a very early age, some you are not sure about for a few months. Some give conflicting clues.

Males tend to have larger combs earlier. This can depend on the type of comb, some are easier. Males also tend to have wattles earlier. If I see wattles on a chick 6 weeks or younger I consider it highly likely to be a boy.

A boy's comb and wattles tend to be red at a relatively young age. A girl's is more likely to be pink or yellow until she is about ready to lay, then they turn red.

A boy's legs are often quite a bit thicker than a girl's. That's one I use a lot. But depending on breed some girls can have fairly thick legs; some boys can have pretty skinny legs. Like everything else this is just a clue.

A boy tends to have an upright posture, while a girl is more likely to be bent over. Body composition can be identifying also.

A boy is more likely to be bold and curious. If a chick comes out to great you it's likely a boy. If it hangs back in the background it's likely a girl.

Often when they have their second juvenile molt the boys will develop long pointy saddle and hackle feathers. The girls saddle and hackle feathers are typically shorter and rounded.

It is often easier to look at a chick and say "That's a boy!" than to see that it is definitely a girl. Some boys are really slow to develop.

I've been able to tell a very few as a boy right after hatch, posture and attitude. Usually by the time they are 5 weeks old I can tell pretty well, lots of practice. But I still remember one that I thought was a girl until it was about 4 months old. A really slow developer.