How to Tell if a Chicken is Male or Female: Easy Tips and Tricks

If you breed or show chickens, it’s important to know the sex of the birds as soon as possible. While it can be difficult to accurately sex a chicken when they’re young, there are a number of indicators that can point you in the right direction. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know to determine the sex of a chicken when they’re young and a little bit older. Plus, learn which sexing methods are unreliable and what to do if you accidentally get a rooster when you only want hens.

How to Tell if a Chick is Male or Female

Young male chicks tend to have larger bodies and uniform wing feathers, while females are smaller and have wing feathers of varying sizes. When they get older, males grow large, red combs and wattles earlier than females. To be certain, have your chicks vent sexed by a professional.

Section 1 of 5:

Determining the Sex of a Baby Chick

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1
Look at the size of their wing feathers. While baby chicks are covered in down, the ends of their wings will have a light feather fringe. To view the wing feathers, grasp the chick firmly in one hand. Use your other hand to extend the wing out until the feathers are somewhat separated and visible. A male (cockerel) chick will have wing feathers of roughly the same length. A female (pullet) chick will have wing feathers featuring two varied lengths. ^{[1]
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- Performing wing sexing 1 to 2 days after hatching will usually yield accurate results. If you wait longer than this, the wing feather development will accelerate too much to read.
- In some cases, females also grow tail feathers earlier than males. Males often sprout feathers faster in general, though.
- Feather growth rate varies from chick to chick and from breed to breed, so it isn’t the most accurate way to determine the sex of a chicken.
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Look for differences in behavior. In some cases, male and female chicks behave differently even when they’re very young. Pay attention to which birds display dominant or submissive tendencies as they socialize together. Male chicks will act less skittish and are more likely to bully their peers. Female chicks are more easily frightened by loud noises and will run in response. ^{[2]
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- Another way to observe the fight-or-flight response is to approach the chicks while clapping your hands. The male chicks will issue warning chirps, while the females will usually stay silent.
- Pick the chick up and let its legs dangle. Some say a female chick will thrash around and try to escape while males are more likely to extend their legs toward the ground.
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Male chickens tend to grow larger and faster than females, which is often apparent when they’re 3-4 weeks old. In addition to having larger bodies and heads, males often stand up taller and puff out their chests, while females appear a bit more petite. Males also tend to have thicker legs and feet than females. ^{[3]
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Look at the down color of auto-sexing breeds. Auto-sexing, or sex-link, breeds are breeds in which the sex of the chickens is distinguished by different physical features and markings, even when they’re still covered in down. For example, in some breeds, male chicks usually have light-colored heads, whereas females have dark brown ones. If a female has down spots or stripes, they’re typically brown or black, while a male’s accent marks are generally white or yellow. Determine what breed your chicks are to find out what colors to look for. ^{[4]
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- For example, male Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire chicks will have almost golden down coloring.
- Similarly, Red Stars are a sex-linked breed, so the male and female are different colors. Males hatch buttery gold, while females hatch reddish-gold. ^{[5]
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- Male Barred Plymouth Rocks chicks will have yellow spots on their heads.
- In some situations, you can estimate the sex of a day-old chick using down color reading.
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Have your chicks vent sexed by a professional. Vent sexing is the most accurate way to determine the sex of a chick, though it can hurt or damage the chick if done incorrectly, which is why it’s best to hire a professional to perform the procedure. If you’ve had professional training, however, gently hold the chick in your hand and apply light pressure to its abdomen until it defecates. Look into the now clear anal vent. If there’s a bump, the chick is likely male. No bump indicates a female. ^{[6]
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- In some breeds, both males and females will have what looks like a series of small beads in their anal vent. In these cases, the male will have a larger, round center bead. The female center bead will be flat in appearance.
- The vent sex training process is long and difficult, so it’s usually only performed by large commercial hatcheries. Do not attempt it if you have not had proper training.
- If you’re not sure where to have your chicks professionally sexed, ask around with your local farm supplier or other poultry farmers. Professional chicken sexers will generally charge you a flat fee for accurately sexing a certain number of chicks.
If you’re serious about breeding or showing , having your chicks genetically tested is the most certain way to determine their sex. For example, if your chicks haven’t been born yet, consider laser spectroscopy. This is a new technique that involves a lab shooting a small laser beam inside of an egg about 3 days after incubation. The technicians then use the DNA contents of the egg to determine the future sex of the chick. ^{[7]
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Section 2 of 5:

Determining the Sex of Older Chickens

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By this point, male chicks will have fully developing combs, the fleshy extensions on the facial areas. The comb skin will turn red and it will extend directly above the chicken’s head. In contrast, the female chick’s facial skin will stay yellow and unextended until about 10 weeks. The wattle, or the loose skin beneath the beak area, will develop similarly. ^{[8]
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Examine the saddle feathers on an 8-10 week old chick. Saddle feathers are the long feathers that cover the rump and base of the tail of a chicken. Hold the chicken firmly in your hand and look where its back meets its tail. Male chicks will have jagged and pointed saddle feathers, whereas the feathers on females look more rounded and soft. ^{[9]
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- While both male and female chickens technically have saddle feathers, they’re usually only referred to as saddle feathers on a rooster.
If your chicken lays an egg , then it is clearly a mature hen (female). This can happen anywhere from 12 to 30 weeks of age, though on average it happens when they’re 18-22 weeks old. ^{[10]
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Section 3 of 5:

Unreliable Sexing Myths

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There are many old wives’ tales about how to determine the sex of an unborn chicken that aren’t backed by science and therefore shouldn’t be viewed as a reliable sexing method. One is that a long, narrow egg shape means that the chicken will be male and a rounder shape means it will be female. The shape of an egg has nothing to do with the chicken’s sex. ^{[11]
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This myth involves shining a bright light, like a candle or flashlight, underneath an egg in a dark room. While this method can be used to see how the unborn chicken is growing and developing, it cannot predict its sex. ^{[12]
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Weight on a string Sometimes known as the “gold ring test,” this wives’ tale involves tying a weight, like a ring, to a string and holding it over the egg or newborn chick. According to legend, if the weight swings in a circular motion, the chick is female. If it swings back and forth, it’s a male. ^{[13]
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- While this isn’t an accurate sexing method, it could be fun to try it out as a game and see if it ends up being right!

Section 4 of 5:

When can you accurately determine the sex of a chicken?

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The sex of most chicken breeds cannot be determined at hatching. While some sexing methods are more accurate than others, none are foolproof. However, if you wait until the chicks are at least 6 weeks old, your odds of success increase quite a bit. The physical changes, such as wattle development, will be easier to see, and the behavioral changes, like the startle response, will be more clear and consistent. Additionally, if you wait a few months, the males will likely start crowing. ^{[14]
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Section 5 of 5:

What to Do With an Unwanted Rooster

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If you accidentally received a rooster from a hatchery, contact them and inform them of the mistake. They may request photos of the chicken to prove that it is, in fact, a rooster. In many cases, the hatchery won’t be able to take the rooster back, but they may be able to refund you for the cost of the chick. ^{[15]
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Sexing chicks isn’t foolproof, so there’s always a chance you could end up with a rooster when you only wanted hens. Some urban and suburban areas have rules against keeping roosters due to noise concerns. Be sure to check your local regulations before choosing a course of action. ^{[16]
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Consider keeping your rooster. Depending on why you bought your chickens, it may be easiest to integrate the rooster into your flock if you’re allowed to keep him. Roosters are very protective, so they can help keep the flock safe from predators. Having a rooster will also keep you in supply of laying hens, so you won’t have to buy more chicks in the future. ^{[17]
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- Be aware that roosters can be mean and they will fight any other roosters you already have. Take this into consideration when determining whether you should keep the new rooster.
- It is possible to neuter a rooster, though it’s often difficult to find a vet to do the procedure.
If you can’t or don’t want to keep the rooster, try to find it a new home. Reach out to local farms to see if they can take it or if they know someone who can. Post on social media or poultry forums, or reach out to animal shelters that specialize in farm animals. ^{[18]
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If you’re unable to keep or give away the rooster, it may be necessary to consider humanely killing it. If you choose to do so, research humane culling methods and follow any applicable laws and guidelines. This way you’ll at least know it had a humane death and you can eat the meat. ^{[19]
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How Do You Determine The Sex Of a Chicken?

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Is there a definite time and age in which we will know the sex of a chicken?

Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA
Certified Veterinary Technician
Deanne Pawlisch is a Certified Veterinary Technician, who does corporate training for veterinary practices and has taught at the NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant Program at the Harper College in Illinois. Deanne has been a Board Member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation in San Antonio, Texas since 2011. She holds a BS in Anthropology from Loyola University and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University.

Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA

Certified Veterinary Technician

Expert Answer

Most chicks can be accurately sexed around 5-8 weeks of age. Secondary sex linked characteristics such as crowing, comb, wattle and tail feathers are usually evident at about 10 to 15 weeks of age.

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Be patient when determining what sexing methods work the best for you and your chicks. Remember that no method is 100% accurate.

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In addition to having a larger comb, roosters often have prettier/flashier feathers.
Roosters also grow spurs on their feet, typically by five months old.

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Warnings

Before you start sexing your chicks, carefully think about what you will do with your male chicks, if you don’t plan to keep and raise them.

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How to Tell if a Chicken is Male or Female: Easy Tips and Tricks

How to Tell if a Chick is Male or Female

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Determining the Sex of a Baby Chick

Determining the Sex of Older Chickens

Unreliable Sexing Myths

When can you accurately determine the sex of a chicken?

What to Do With an Unwanted Rooster

How Do You Determine The Sex Of a Chicken?

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