Caring for Chicks
BABY BASICS
I REMEMBER FEELING ANXIOUS AS I AWAITED THE DELIVERY
of my first chicks by mail. The prospect of caring for them was foreign, if not intimidating, to me and I worried about getting it right. I wish I had known then what I know now, which is that caring for baby chicks is not difficult. Keep it simple: a dry and spacious brooder, warmth, clean water, proper feed, and an attentive caretaker are all chicks require to thrive!
The prospect of caring for baby chicks might seem intimidating at first, but with the right tools and information, there’s nothing to it!
A Warm, Dry Space
It’s important to have the brooder set up before bringing your chicks home—their immediate needs will be warmth and water. The brooder should be placed in a temperature-controlled, draft-free area. Ideally, this area will have a window to provide the benefit of a natural day/night cycle. Chicks live in a brooder until they are ready to be moved to the coop outside.
THE BROODER
The minimum space requirement for a day-old chick is 6 square inches, but more is always better. Chickens grow at an astonishing rate and insufficient space increases the likelihood of avoidable diseases and problem behaviors. If they cannot stretch their wings without touching another chick, the brooder is too small.
Brooder containers are limited only by your imagination. I prefer strong cardboard boxes because they can be added onto as chicks grow. Plus, they’re easy to move, and they’re disposable and free! An old bathtub, a stock tank, a rabbit hutch with a solid floor, a retired playpen, and even a plastic wading pool will work for a limited period. You should be able to cover the brooder to keep chicks in and unwanted guests (like family pets) out. Even very young chicks can escape an uncovered brooder. Resting a piece of hardware cloth on top will prevent chicks from jumping or flying out, but a more secure top is needed to keep pets out.
Chicks live in a brooder until they are ready to be moved to the coop outside. A large cardboard box or a puppy playpen with a zip top make excellent brooders. The yellow heater seen here is a radiant heater that warms the chicks below it—just like a mother hen.
BROODER LITTER
The brooder floor should be kept clean and dry, dry, dry. Litter should be absorbent and offer traction for tiny feet. For the first few days, line the brooder with puppy training pads topped with paper towels to give chicks a chance to identify feed easily and reduce the possibility of ingesting litter. Chicks eat and poop a lot, so clean the brooder when it becomes damp from droppings or when water is spilled.
After 5 days, begin using litter. The most common type is pine shavings, but chopped hay/chopped straw/zeolite litter blends are effective, too. Sand is also an excellent and economical litter that I have used in my brooders with great success.
Never use regular straw or newspaper. Newspaper is insufficiently absorbent, can create conditions ripe for disease, and is slippery, which can result in leg injuries. Regular straw should not be used with chickens of any age, especially chicks—it’s not absorbent, can harbor mites, and molds easily, resulting in a hazardous environment for chickens’ unique respiratory systems.
Warmth: Mother Knows Best
With her core body temperature of 104° to 107°F (40° to 42°C), a mother hen keeps chicks warm beneath her body. She knows not every chick requires the same degree of warmth at the same time. She observes their behavior as they eat, drink, and explore, and if they don’t have the good sense to scurry back beneath their walking feather bed when they get cold, she pulls them in with her beak. A mother hen also warms her chicks as they sleep beneath her at night, and she knows that after the first week, chicks depend less on her for warmth and so begins allowing them more freedom to explore. By week 3 they are partially feathered and have begun regulating their own body temperatures. By week 6, she begins distancing herself from them completely.
HEAT LAMP HAZARDS
In the absence of a hen, a 250-watt heat lamp has been the traditional method for warming chicks. The usual formula calls for a brooder temperature of 90°F to 95°F (32°C to 35°C) for the first week of life, decreasing by 5°F (2.8°C) each week thereafter, but I believe that formula calls for too much constant heat for far too long.
I do not recommend using heat lamps. Beyond overheating chicks, heat lamps cause countless fires and loss of human and animal lives every year. A 500°F (260°F) glass surface dangling in a confined area with highly flammable materials and flying animals is a disaster waiting to happen. Furthermore, heat lamps do not allow normal light/dark sleep cycles and are confusing to use. What should the temperature be today? Where should I place the thermometer? Should I raise the heat lamp? Are the chicks too cold … too hot … too noisy … too quiet? Oy! It’s enough to drive any chicken keeper over the edge with worry. We should worry, but less about brooder temperature and more about the inherent fire risk of heat lamps.
I do not recommend the use of heat lamps with chickens of any age. Beyond routinely overheating chicks, they cause countless fires and loss of life every year.
SAFE AND WARM
I recommend a radiant heat source designed specifically for chicks. Just like a mother hen, a radiant heater warms chicks underneath it without heating the air around it. A thermometer measuring brooder air temperature is unnecessary because air temperature will not reflect chick comfort level underneath the radiant warming unit.
A radiant heater emits no visible light, allowing chicks to get restful sleep on normal day/night cycles. Chicks raised under blazing hot heat lamps and their constant light suffer stress, which induces behavioral and health problems.
Radiant heaters must be used in a space with an ambient temperature of at least 50°F (10°C). Locate the warmer against one wall of the brooder and food and water at the other end. After 1 week, chicks will spend very little time underneath the warmer, but keep it in the brooder until they are at least 3 weeks old. Listen to the chicks. Only cold, lost, or stressed chicks cheep noisily. Happy chicks are quiet chicks.
Finally, while radiant heaters are slightly more expensive than heat lamps, they utilize approximately one-tenth the energy with none of the danger. I think of the price difference as an insurance premium on one’s pets, home, and family. Even if raising chicks safely means turning up the thermostat in a small bathroom for a few days after bringing 2-day-old chicks home, do that rather than use a heat lamp. Radical suggestion? Maybe, but it won’t kill your family or your chickens or burn down your home.
Water: Keep It Clean!
Chicks must have access to clean water in clean containers at all times. Gently introduce each to the water by touching its beak to it to encourage hydration. If chicks arrive in rough shape, offering clear Pedialyte or adding a vitamin/electrolyte solution to the water for a day or two may help.
Two styles of drinkers are commonly available: plastic chick drinkers and nipple drinkers. Elevating plastic drinkers a few inches off the floor can help keep litter out of the water, but poop invariably finds its way in, making frequent cleaning and sanitizing necessary.
Nipple drinkers eliminate all these concerns. To access water, the chick taps a metal pin attached to a water reservoir, releasing a drop of water into its mouth. Nipple drinkers should not leak or drip. A shallow, litter-filled dish underneath the nipple drinker will catch any stray water drops chicks miss. Promptly replace any wet litter to maintain chick health.
Two styles of drinkers are commonly available: plastic chick drinkers (left) and nipple drinkers (right). To access water from a poultry nipple drinker, the chick taps a metal pin attached to a water reservoir, releasing a drop of water into its mouth.
Feed: The Right Stuff
Provide your chicks with a starter ration that’s always accessible in a feeder. I like to use squirrel-proof, hanging bird feeders, which have a lip that prevents “beaking out” and pooping in the feeder.
Starter feed is nutritionally complete and formulated to be easily digested with water. It can be purchased in medicated and unmedicated varieties. Medicated feed contains amprolium to protect chicks from coccidiosis, a common and deadly intestinal disease spread via poop (for more information about coccidiosis, see chapter 8). Chicks develop immunity to the parasitic coccidia protozoa as they are gradually exposed to it in a clean, dry brooder. When brooder conditions become dirty, wet, and overcrowded, however, the coccidia population can thrive, infect, and potentially kill chicks in very short order.
Medicated feed contains amprolium to protect chicks from coccidiosis, a common and deadly intestinal disease spread via poop.
I like to use squirrel-proof hanging bird feeders for chicks. They have a lip that prevents “beaking out” food and pooping in the feeder.
When purchasing vaccinated chicks, ask which vaccine(s) they were given. Chicks that received a coccidiosis vaccine should not be fed medicated starter, as the medication renders the vaccine useless and the chicks vulnerable to the disease. Further, medicated feed is not a treatment for coccidiosis (or anything else); rather, it keeps the coccidia population at manageable levels while chicks develop immunity. Chicks that received the vaccine for Marek’s disease can eat medicated starter feed.
When gradually exposed over time, chickens can build up immunity to the protozoa species living in their environment. Promote acquired immunity in the first few weeks of a chick’s life by bringing chicks into the yard for supervised field trips in warm weather, or bring small amounts of relatively clean soil from the yard into the brooder. Do not raise chicks on wire floors—they must be able to ingest the oocysts present in poop to build immunity.
Finally, never feed chicks layer ration, which contains levels of calcium that can permanently damage their kidneys. Finally, be sure to supply grit to chicks fed anything other than starter feed (see chapter 6 for more about grit).
Entertainment and Interaction
A chick’s primary job is eating—it doesn’t need to be entertained or engaged in the same way a puppy does. However, after a week or so, it’s okay to add a few enrichment activities to the brooder.
By week 2, add a small perch to encourage the habit of roosting. A thick tree branch or 1×2-inch piece of wood elevated on each end makes a good roost. Smooth dowels and rods are generally too slippery.
Provide a small box with a few inches of all-purpose sand for dust bathing. Don’t worry if the chicks eat bits of the sand—it’s a natural behavior that helps chickens digest fibrous foods. Because chicks need every ounce of nutrition in their starter feed to grow properly, I don’t feed my chicks treats—not even healthy treats. Chicks hatch with a whopping twelve taste buds—they truly do not perceive flavor diversity and are better off without additions that will detract from the complete nutrition in their feed. If you must offer treats, never use string to hang treats due to the risk of entanglement and ingestion, and always offer grit to aid in the digestion.
Always supervise children handling chicks. Teach them to support the chick with one hand underneath the feet and one hand gently securing the wings, being careful never to squeeze.
Never place a feather duster in the brooder to “mimic a mother hen” due to the very real risk of strangulation.
With chicks in the home, it’s important to limit the stress of normal household activities like barking dogs, loud visitors, and excessive handling. If you find something stressful, you can be sure it’s stressful for chicks busily working to build their immune systems.
Always supervise children handling chicks. Teach them to support the chick with one hand underneath the feet and one hand gently securing the wings, being careful never to squeeze.
Try to avoid surprising chicks by suddenly or loudly bounding into a room and reaching in to pick them up. Slowly place your hand, palm up, on the brooder floor, allowing the chick to walk onto it. Some chickens are more social than others—don’t force interaction if they’re not interested.
Common Chick Health Problems
Following the simple steps outlined above will help prevent most common chick ailments. Still, even a chick that’s given the best possible start in life can be susceptible to one of the following common conditions.
PASTY BUTT
Also known as pasted vent, pasty butt is caused by loose droppings that stick to the down surrounding a chick’s vent, building up to form a blockage of the digestive tract that can be fatal if not removed. All newly acquired chicks should be checked for pasty butt immediately upon arrival home; those with pasted vents must be treated immediately and monitored closely for recurrence.
I find the most effective way to treat pasty butt is rinsing the area under lukewarm running water. Work quickly in a warm room to prevent chilling. When the droppings soften, gently coax the poop off the down without pulling to avoid tearing the chick’s skin. Towel dry the chick, then use a hair dryer on low heat to dry the down completely. If the chick has recurrent pasting, petroleum jelly or triple antibiotic ointment can be applied to the down as a preventive. Steer clear of oils, which can become rancid.
Several factors can lead to pasty butt, including cold (most common among chicks shipped in the mail). Conversely, excessive heat, as from heat lamps, can also contribute to fecal buildup, as can viruses, bacteria, or improper diet that causes diarrhea. Some feeds can cause pasting without causing diarrhea. If no other cause can be determined, try switching feed brands. Avoid overheating by using a radiant heat source instead of a lamp. Add probiotics to water to promote good gut health, and don’t rush to offer treats; but when you do, always supply grit. Grit can be sand, a clump of weeds with roots and dirt still attached, or crushed granite found in feed stores and online. Never feed chicks oyster shells intended for laying hens.
If pasty butt is recurrent, Gail Damerow, writing in The Chicken Health Handbook, suggests offering scrambled eggs mixed into the starter feed and if that clears things up, switching brands of feed.
SPRADDLE LEG
Spraddle leg, also known as splayed leg, is a deformity of newly hatched chicks caused by weak legs. Spraddle leg is characterized by feet and legs that point to the side instead of supporting the chick from underneath. Spraddle leg is easily corrected, but can be permanently disabling if not promptly addressed.
Chick with pasty butt.
Baby chicks have vents and navels, which should not be confused with one another. The vent is the orifice through which chickens pass bodily waste and eggs. The navel is just beneath the vent. As with human babies, chicks have a small amount of tissue here that must dry up and fall off—never pull this stringy-looking stuff as it can disembowel the chick!
Male Silkie chick Ted E. Graham with spraddle leg that was corrected with hobbles.
Treatment for spraddle leg involves bracing the legs in the proper position, allowing the bones and muscles to strengthen in the correct position.
Spraddle leg can be caused by temperature fluctuations during incubation, a difficult hatch, leg or foot injuries, brooder overcrowding, or vitamin deficiency. It can also be caused by slick brooder flooring that causes chicks to slip. Avoid using newspaper in the brooder. Safer options are paper towels or rubber shelf liner over pine shavings.
Treatment involves bracing the legs in the proper position and allowing the bones and muscles to strengthen in the correct alignment. Any number of materials can be used for a brace, from Band-Aids to medical tape. My preference is VetRap elastic bandaging. It’s readily available in feed stores, remains securely in place without tape, doesn’t restrict circulation or damage skin or feathers when properly applied, and is easy to remove.
Wrap two little bands of VetRap around each leg just below the hock joint, being careful not to wrap too tightly. Next, cut a 6- to 7-inch piece of VetRap to bind the legs together. The legs should be positioned underneath the chick, slightly wider than a normal stance, allowing a slight amount of play between the legs. Chicks being rehabilitated must be supervised near water so they don’t drown.
Brief physical therapy sessions help build leg muscles and improve balance. Support the chick’s body while it stands, gradually reducing the assistance provided until it can do so independently. One-minute sessions for six to eight times throughout the first day are very important.
Remove the brace once daily to assess progress and readjust as needed. As the legs strengthen, gradually allow more slack between the legs until support is no longer needed. Given prompt treatment, most chicks’ legs function normally in 24 to 48 hours.
CROOKED TOES
Most causes of spraddle leg can also cause toes that bend to the side. Crooked toes do not ordinarily result in debilitation and are easily corrected if promptly treated.
To straighten crooked toes, create a chick sandal with a piece of poster board. Trace around the foot (glove-style) and cut out the sandal. Secure each toe to the sandal with a tiny piece of VetRap, being careful not to impede circulation. The VetRap provides traction and is easier to work with than tape or Band-Aids. The younger the chick, the faster the response to treatment. The toes should remain straight after a day or two.
Another option to treat crooked toe is a cast. Cut two squares of VetRap just larger than the chick’s footprint. Place one square on a flat surface and have the chick stand on it with toes flat in the corrected positions. Place the second VetRap square on the top of the toes aligned with the first square. Press the VetRap pieces together around each toe so they stick together. Carefully trim around the toes with small scissors and gently pinch the VetRap up around the top of the toes into tiny casts.
Crooked toes on a Dorking chick before and after splinting.
TWISTED TIBIA AND PEROSIS
Two leg deformities often confused with spraddle leg are twisted tibia and perosis (a.k.a. slipped tendon). Twisted tibia becomes apparent within a day or two after hatch as one or both legs point out to the sides at the hock joint. The cause is unclear and the condition is untreatable.
Perosis is caused by a vitamin deficiency that prevents normal cartilage development, so it won’t appear until a chick is at least a week old, at which time the hock joint appears flat, swollen, and twisted. Before long, the tendon slips out of place, causing the leg and foot to point diagonally behind the body. Correcting the chick’s diet and offering a vitamin supplement may prevent its progression, but any existing damage cannot be reversed.
SCISSOR BEAK
Scissor beak, sometimes called crossed beak or crooked beak, is a condition in which the top and bottom beak halves do not align properly. This can be caused by genetics, an injury, or an inability to maintain the beak length and shape by normal honing on rocks or other hard surfaces. In chicks, it is safe to assume that genetics are to blame and breeding them as adults is not recommended.
Most scissor-beaked chicks adapt and thrive, leading long, happy lives, but in severe cases, the defect prevents eating and drinking independently. Some chickens adapt by scooping food into the bottom half of their beaks. Sometimes placing feed in a deep dish raised to chest level is all it takes to help crossed-beaked chickens eat. Some chicks with the condition find it easier to eat a feed that has had water added to make it the consistency of oatmeal. Scissor-beaked chickens also find nipple waterers helpful because the water drips into the mouth. With this condition it is important to ensure flock members do not prevent the afflicted bird from accessing feed.
Chickens maintain the length and shape of their beaks by wiping them on abrasive surfaces while foraging. Scissor beak makes this task difficult. Periodically trim excess beak length with dog nail clippers or file it with a rotary tool. Beware: beaks are vascular and if cut too far back will bleed profusely. If bleeding occurs, dip the beak in styptic powder and apply gentle, firm pressure until the bleeding stops.
This Easter Egger displays the condition most commonly known as scissor beak.
PICKING PREVENTION AND INJURIES
Feather and skin picking are serious problem behaviors exhibited by chickens under stress, and can lead to serious injuries and death. It’s critical to identify and control causes and address injuries urgently.
No time is more stressful than the first few weeks of a chick’s life. Consider the hatchery chick’s first few days. Day 1: Hatch, dry off with several thousand distant relatives, endure intrusive vent sexing and sorting, get unceremoniously packed into a box with other chicks, and head off in the U.S. Mail. Days 2 and 3: Endure a bumpy, chilly, dark ride to parts unknown, arrive at a feed store for vent inspections and cleaning, and get placed in a metal stock tank underneath a red interrogation light. Quarters are tight, competition for food is fierce, and the drinking water is laced with pine shavings and tank mates’ droppings. Random strangers parade past, ogling you before you’re again boxed up and sent to yet another new environment—this one with small children, barking dogs, clanging pots and pans, and television noise. It’s a miracle that all chicks don’t engage in problem picking!
When too many chickens occupy a space that is too small, opportunities to peck and scratch the ground are limited, which can result in aggressive, impulsive picking of feathers and skin. Small wounds can become life-threatening injuries inflicted by many chicks very quickly. Increase the size of the brooder as chicks increase in size, giving them enough space to spread their wings without touching another chick.
Chickens deficient in certain amino acids, sodium, or other dietary essentials can resort to picking. Feeding chickens too many treats can cause nutritional deficiencies, so provide a nutritionally complete chick starter feed and skip the treats entirely.
Brooder lights that are too hot or too bright can also cause stress picking. Chicks that must be raised under heat lamps should have a spacious brooder so they can escape the heat and light when necessary. When using a heat lamp, brooder temperatures should be closely monitored and the heat lamp use discontinued as soon as possible. Radiant heat sources that do not emit visible light are much healthier alternatives to the constant light, heat, and fire danger of brooder lamps.
To eliminate the risk of cannibalism, an injured chicken must always be separated from other birds until the injury is fully healed. Once an injured chick has been removed to safety, clean the wound and monitor for infection until healed. I do not recommend products that dye the skin blue, purple, or red. The main ingredient in such products is isopropyl alcohol, which stings when applied to open wounds, and the dye limits the chicken keeper’s ability to detect the first sign of infection, which is redness. I use Vetericyn’s wound and infection spray.
Keep injured chicks separated from flockmates by partitioning the brooder with a piece of hardware cloth. Once the injury has healed, reintegration is as simple as removing the divider.
Moving from Brooder to Coop
So you have a predator-proof coop ready and waiting and your tiny fluff balls have grown into mini feathered dinosaurs. When can your chicks stop using their heat source and move from the brooder to the coop? The short answer is … it depends.
If older flock members are already living in the coop, it’s best to wait until the chicks are close in size to the mature birds before beginning the process of flock integration. Smaller birds can be seriously hurt by normal pecking-order behaviors of older, bigger birds. A slow and deliberate integration process will help minimize conflict and stress for all the birds. I highly recommend the playpen method, a tried-and-true technique for a low-stress, low-conflict merger (see chapter 9).
Beyond the availability of adequate housing and managing the integration with older flockmates, there are several other factors to consider.
Six-week-old cockerel, packed and ready to move out. If older flock members are already living in the coop, it’s best to wait until the chicks are close in size to the mature birds before beginning the process of flock integration.
BODY TEMPERATURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL TEMPERATURES
Although chicks reach their adult core body temperature at 10 days old, their ability to regulate body temperature isn’t well developed until after it is fully feathered. In general, most chicks are fully feathered by 6 weeks—their chick down is gone and they have grown real feathers that allow them to better regulate their temperature by trapping warm air against their bodies. Not all breeds or individual chickens are fully feathered at the same age, so the actual feathering should be considered, not merely the age of the chick. Even then, however, the chick’s ability to adapt to rapid changes in temperature is limited, so it must remain in an environment without wild temperature swings. In the heat of summer, chicks may require supplemental heat for only a few weeks; in very cold weather, they may need it for much longer.
Once chicks are observed spending little time near their heat source, it can ordinarily be eliminated. Ideally, chicks will not require any heat source in the coop. If the temperatures outside remain above 65°F (18°C) and the chicks are at least 5 weeks old, they can move into the coop without supplemental heat. If the chicks must be moved before they are ready to give up their heat source, is there electricity to the coop? If so, can heat be safely provided there? If not, wait to make the move until outside temperatures are warmer.
Once your new chickens are in the coop, watch and listen. Teenage chickens adjusting to a new residence will be active and quiet. If they’re huddled together cheeping noisily, they’re probably cold.
Reduce Stress in the Coop
Transition from one housing unit to another is extremely stressful for chickens of all ages. A few key steps can minimize stress-related behavioral problems.
INSTILL THE CONCEPT OF HOME
When chicks are moved, they will be confused and need time to adjust to the idea that the coop is their permanent home and the place to which they should return at night. I recommend keeping them inside the coop for at least a week, if not several, before allowing them access to the run. Chicks that are not given this initial acclimatization period often fail to return independently to the safety of the coop at dusk, which can be frustrating for the chicken keeper and dangerous for the birds.
DENY ACCESS TO NEST BOXES
In their new home, the initial inclination of stressed chicks is to hide, and nest boxes provide a natural refuge for frightened chicks. While the habit of sleeping in nest boxes may not be a problem initially, it will be when they begin laying eggs. Sleeping chickens are pooping chickens, and droppings will soil freshly laid eggs and increase the risk of illness from their consumption.
Avoiding the behavior is much easier than trying to break the habit. Blocking access to the nest boxes prior to the move prevents the chicks from getting into the habit of sleeping in them. By 17 to 18 weeks of age, the boxes can be opened for business.
If laying hens already reside in the coop, blockade nest boxes in the afternoon after egg laying is finished for the day and open them back up first thing in the morning. This allows layers access to the boxes during the day and prevents nest box slumber parties at night.
Sexing
Chicken gender is important to many chicken keepers most commonly because roosters are either not allowed in the neighborhood or not needed in a backyard flock. A wide array of methods is used to predict gender at various ages. Although you may read or hear claims about various sexing techniques that “always work for me,” any method has a shot at being right half the time! Better to flip a coin than to invest much credence in most old wives’ tales.
When purchasing chickens from a hatchery or feed store, remember that even the most reliable sexing methods used by commercial hatcheries have a margin of error and sometimes chicks simply get mixed up in sorting bins. The take-home message is always have a plan for roosters that cannot be kept!
Some methods of sexing chickens should be left to trained professionals; some can be used only in specific circumstances. Most sexing methods are not useful to the average backyard chicken keeper, so I will touch on those only briefly.
While you might encounter claims about various sexing techniques that “always work for me,” any method has a shot at being right half the time! Better to flip a coin than to invest much credence in most old wives’ tales.
VISIBLE GENDER DIFFERENCES
By 3 weeks of age, it is usually possible to begin distinguishing physical features that point to a chicken’s gender. I find it enormously helpful to have several birds of the same age and breed to compare to each other. Some of the features to observe when trying to determine the gender are:
By three weeks of age, it is usually possible to begin distinguishing physical features that point to a chicken’s gender. Here we see various breeds and genders. “Mom” is ellen deHeneres, a half Black Copper Marans, half Wheaten Marans.
This “Showgirl” chick is actually a cockerel. He’s a hybrid produced by crossing a Silkie with a Naked Neck Turken.
Comb and wattles: In general, male chicks begin to develop more prominent, darker combs and wattles earlier than females do.
Hackle feathers: These grow around a chicken’s neck and begin to appear as a chicken approaches sexual maturity (4 to 6 months). A rooster’s hackle feathers are long and pointy; a hen’s are shorter and rounder.
Saddle feathers: Roosters grow long, pointy feathers on their back, toward the tail.
Legs and foot size: Males tend to have longer, thicker legs and bigger feet than females.
Tail feathers: Males of most breeds have long, fancy tail feathers referred to as “sickles.” The main sickle feathers are the longest, curvy feathers at the top of the tail. The curvy lesser sickle feathers line both sides of the tail beneath the main sickles.
Crowing: Although crowing does not ordinarily begin in cockerels (young roosters) until they approach sexual maturity, timing varies by breed and even individual birds. The youngest cockerel to begin crowing in my flock was a mere 3 weeks old!
A sex-linked chicken is one whose gender may be determined by its appearance shortly after hatching. Red sex-linked chicks like this one can be produced by crossing a variety of breeds. The females are gold and the males are silver.
Posture: I find chick posture can be very telling at times. Males have an upright, jaunty—cocky, if you will—stance when startled or alerted to something.
Attitude: Cockerels can tip themselves off by behaving more assertively or aggressively than pullets at a very young age. This is not to say that pullets can’t be aggressive—this is just another factor to consider along with other physical signs.
Submissive squat: When approached by a rooster for mating, a hen that has reached sexual maturity will crouch, spread her wings to the sides for balance, and lower her tail. If you haven’t identified a chicken as a pullet by the age of 5 months or so, this posture is a sure sign that it is a hen and is going to lay an egg soon!
SEX-LINKED GENDER DETERMINATION
A sex-linked chicken is one whose gender may be determined by its appearance shortly after hatching (either by down color or the growth rate of certain wing feathers). At the risk of mortifying geneticists everywhere, here are the gross oversimplifications.
Certain chicks can be sexed by the color of their down at hatch. An example of purebred color sex link is the Barred Plymouth Rock (BPR), which can be sexed at hatch based on the size and shape of a light-colored spot on the top of its head: males have a large white spot while females have a smaller, lighter, narrower spot. Overall, BPR males are also lighter in color than females. This method is considered about 80 percent accurate.
SEXING BY WING FEATHERS
Black sex-linked hybrids are produced by crossing a barred hen (such as a Barred Plymouth Rock) with a red rooster. All resulting chicks are black at hatch, but the males have a white spot on their heads. The male offspring will feather out like their mother while females will be a solid color. Color sexing hybrids is the only guaranteed sexing method. If you cannot have roosters, order sex-linked hybrids!
Red sex-linked chicks can be produced by crossing a variety of breeds. The most common commercial cross uses a silver female (such as a light Sussex) and a gold male (such as a Rhode Island Red). The females are gold and the males are silver. This method is considered about 80 percent accurate.
Finally, sexing hybrid chicks by the appearance of their wing feathers is accurate only if you know that the chick’s father was a fast-feathering breed and the mother was a slow-feathering breed and the sexing is done within 3 days after hatching. When slow-feathering females are crossed with fast-feathering males, the male offspring are slow-feathering and the female offspring are fast-feathering. What does that look like? Females will have two rows of wing feathers (primaries and coverts) of different lengths while the males’ feather rows will be the same length.
Sexing hybrid chicks by the appearance of their wing feathers is accurate only if you know that the chick’s father was a fast-feathering breed and the mother was a slow-feathering breed and the sexing is done within three days after hatching.
VENT SEXING
Also known as cloacal inspection, vent sexing is a true art form that should not be attempted by amateurs. Highly trained, expert vent sexers employed by commercial hatcheries visually inspect the sex organs inside a day-old chick’s vent to determine gender. The differences between newly hatched chicks’ sex organs are so subtle that even the experts are only 90 to 95 percent accurate. It sounds and appears straightforward, but improper technique can result in disembowelment and death. Amateurs are not likely to read the anatomy with any degree of accuracy greater than a coin toss, so please stick with the coin toss at home.
DNA TESTING
Anyone can have certain labs perform a DNA analysis of a chick’s down, feathers, eggshell after hatch, or blood to determine gender, but this can quickly become very expensive.