sexing chicks

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by scott, Dec 9, 2005.

  1. scott

    scott Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I know this topic has been talked about before,but thier is a twist..

    My five chicks are 6 weeks old.

    From what i've been told- Dad is a pure Ancona and Mums could be any one of a choice from a Sussex light x,a Austrolorp x or Isa browns.(all eggs were mixed and i didnt take much notice of what went under the broody hen) :?

    Three of the chicks have "obvious " larger combs than the other two,so im guessing they would be boys..(these three all look the same)So another guess is that they would be all from the one breed of mum).

    The last two chicks are both quite different to the others, and each other.And not much comb action happening.(girls at another guess) :?

    At long last the question(very, very slow typer) :)

    Do chooks/chicks combs develop faster or slower depending on breed ?(common sense would tell me yes) but to what degree?

    Just curious..... :) :)
     
  2. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    Messages:
    915
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Yes they do Scott.

    Australorp pullets have a well developed red comb in comparison to many other breeds. Some adult female's combs are almost none existant.

    The comb alone is not a good indication of sex, only reliable when comparing chickens from identical breeding.

    Yours should start exhibiting different behaviour soon. This IMO would be a more reliable indication.

    Tam
     
  3. scott

    scott Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Hi Tam

    Iv been working away quite a lot over the last month and not spent much time in the chook pen.

    Yesterday , a mate of mine came over and we sat in the paddock with a few beers watching the chooks(while solving the problems of the world) :lol:

    I thought my guess work was spot on.the big comb chicks were chasing,
    mock fighting and standing up to each other and being aggressive..

    Then one of the ones i thought was a girl started doing the same sort of thing :?

    I think i will just wait, and the ones that lay eggs, i will know are girls.

    Not that it matters anyway.

    Thanks again Tam. :)
     
  4. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    Messages:
    915
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Scott,

    Did you have a look at Greg Davies' website 'The Chook Shed'?

    I posted the link in the previous thread but here it is again.

    https://members.iinet.net.au/~greggles1/sexing.html

    The last 3 paragraphs and the table at the bottom of the page should help you.

    With my australorps, I use their feathering to sex them at around 8 weeks. The girls feather a lot more evenly than the cockerels. On the other hand, I've got a batch of araukanas at the moment and can't for the life of me see any differences in the feathering. The only hint I've got so far is the 2 which I believe are cockerels have a more erect tail with a few curved feathers I'm assuming are the saddle hackles, just appearing around the base of the tail. They look too small to be sickle feathers at this stage, but might well be. With my silkies, I use their comb and size as an indication, but once again, comparing them against the others of similar breeding.

    By about 8 weeks onwards, you'll also find the cockerels will be markedly larger than the pullets. That's when their whole shape starts to change and within a few weeks, obvious differences become apparent.

    Tam
     
  5. scott

    scott Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Thanks Tam. :)

    Iv printed out the table and will spend a bit of time checking them out.. :?

    I think the next time i have a hen go clucky i will buy some fertilised eggs from one breed to put under her.(should make things a little easier)

    At this stage im keen on the Sussex light.But will do a bit more browsing
    of chook sites to see if i like the look of anything else.

    FRom what i can gather the sussex are good for both eggs and meat.

    :) :)

    cheers.
     
  6. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    Messages:
    915
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Scott, If you like Sussex, there are some varieties acknowledged by the Rare Breeds Trust, like the Speckled Sussex. I've got a couple of Coronation Sussex Pullets which are also very pretty. The Light is good too, but some varieties, if you're looking for a breed to keep, need our help more than others, in order to ensure their breed's survival.

    Sorry for the sermon, can't help myself! :lol:

    Check this out:

    https://rbta.org/PoultryList.htm

    Tam
     
  7. scott

    scott Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Tam, i certainly see the point in keeping a breed of chook that is rare.

    Iv been through all the breeds on the critical list and like the look of the red sussex.

    From the endangered list, i liked the speckled sussex and the ancona..

    Something keeps drawing me to the sussex :?

    Thanks for the link , its certainly given me something to think about.

    I will check out where the closest breeders are ,so i can possably go and see some in the flesh..(chooks not breeders) :lol:

    :) :)
     
  8. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    Messages:
    915
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    What state do you live in Scott?


    For breeders, take a look at Oz Fanciers
    https://home.iprimus.com.au/onslo/ozfanciers.html

    and The Australian Poultry Breeders Directory

    https://insight.iinet.net.au/breeders/

    and to see pics of different breeds, follow the links from the Feathersite's breed club index

    https://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKBreedClubs.html

    There are also a couple of good chook websites with forums that you might be able to track down some breeders. One is Andy Vardy's Backyard Poultry

    https://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewforum.php?f=3
     
  9. Tamandco

    Tamandco Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2004
    Messages:
    915
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Sorry, just saw, Western Australia.

    Okay. :oops:
     
  10. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2005
    Messages:
    1,251
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    0
    Several times I have seen posts here that make it sound like it is illegal to ship or tranport seeds, plants, animals to WA.

    If this is so, could someone enlighten me?

    Just curious... I don't really NEED to know... :p

    Sue
     

Share This Page

-->