Sexing Columbian Wyandotte chicks?

[DollDoctor]

Can anyone give me some hints about sexing day old Columbian Wyandottes? I am getting six straight run tomorrow and would prefer not to end up with all cockerels. Thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

I'm not sure you can sex Wyandottes by sight at a day old. In fact, I'm pretty sure you can't, but maybe someone else can pop in and verify that. I've had SLWs and GLWs and they can't be instantly sexed at that stage that I'm aware of.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

speckledhen is right, you won't be able to tell for a while what sex they are. You will have to give them some time to start to feather out. I have to ask, why didn't you order what sex you wanted in the first place? Good Luck!

 

[DollDoctor]

Thanks for your replies. I am getting them from a feed store, they told me yesterday they were only getting straight run. Today when I actually paid for the order, the order form said "FEMALES." Which made me very happy. But if they can't be reliably sexed by the hatchery, how can they be getting just females?

 

[speckledhen]

They can sex them by a method called vent sexing, but if you get straight run, you yourself cannot tell which is which sex. People go to school to learn the art of vent sexing; most average folk don't know how to do it.

 

[DANNY]

It won't be long till the males combs will jump up and outgrow the females.

 

[preppy*hippie*chick]

I was told with mine that they couldn't be reliably sexed til 5 weeks.

 

[DollDoctor]

Cynthia,
thanks for your reply. I didn't know about vent sexing, but after reading your post I looked it up on Wikipedia. So, hopefully I am really getting the pullets as advertised! These are my first chicks, very excited.

 

[Outrun Acres]

I think even the professionals have a hard time sexing them. We have two that are supposed to both be pullets. But one of our chicks has had a bright red comb since it started to develop. Now this chicken has bright red wattles too. Otherwise it's body type and feathering seem to make us think it's a hen. The other pullet has a flesh colored rose comb and no wattles. They are both about 14 weeks old now and we are still on the fence as to the sex of the one with the red comb and wattles. Columbians are proving to be quite difficult to sex!

 

[yogi]

I have17which are now 8 weeks old. Two are supposed to be roosters. We absolutely cannot tell. They all look the same even at this age. Can anyone give me an age when we might tell?