As a chicken farmer and owner we all know how fun it is to get that mixed-breed and genders from the hatchery or from local chicken sellers, but many of us dont know the breed of the chicks you are buying, or you just want to know the gender! Well here are some steps how to tell the gender and breed of your chicks. But remember! Some breeds (Such as Old English Game Bantams), are REALLY easy to tell the gender, and others can take MONTHS! (Such as Easter Eggers) Some even like us to think their roosters, only to lay an egg.
These are things you Need to Know to determine the breed and gender of chicken.
So heres some stuff you need to know. Firstly please don't be asking the gender or breed of your 3 day old chick. SOME breeds you can figure out if we know what hatchery (if you ordered from one) you ordered from, and if the chick (or Duck, or turkey, but I won't be putting steps for telling their gender or breed, but a lot of this info can be applied to those as well) is unique. As for the gender telling, you must know this.
Saddle feathers
A male has pointed, often long, saddle feathers. Their tail feathers tend to be longer, more rounded, and shinier then females .
As you can see, the male , the saddle feathers are very apparent, vs hens, where it doesn't make much of a difference.
Some female do has same colour as the female. so you can see how the saddle feathers are apparent, even on the same bree
Another thing is, hens do not always have a smaller comb then the cockerels . In most cases, yes, but hens can have larger combs (depending on the breed of course), and hens can have large combs in general.
To determine gender of chicken
These are some steps to look for to determine the sex of most chickens, however, some chickens are later, or earlier bloomers. This is a general guide, and it varies.
1. Comb. large comb is for the male.
Turkey can be hard to determine their sex, due to having large combs, but I know this was male. As you can see, he has a large comb. That is a classic sign of a male.. The earlier the comb is red, and the larger, the more likely the chicken will be a male. However, after about 6 weeks, all chickens should have some reddening in the comb by then and this tell that they are make and any other chicken and Turkey are male.
2. Another way to tell the sex, is by the feathers. While by this time the gender should be obvious, if your still new, or bought it as an adult, they male feather will quickly shows. while the female will take more day before it shows.
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