10+ Ways to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

There are a couple of ways to try to figure out if you have male or female chicks, but are they old wives tales or accurate as to determining if you will end up with hens or roosters?

One question I get asked fairly often from readers with new baby chicks is "Is this chick a hen or a rooster?" with an accompanying photo. Although I do my best to ~~determine~~ guess the sex of their chick, generally, that's not an easy question to answer.

The overwhelming factor that makes sexing baby chicks (or ducklings and goslings) is that unlike mammals (like humans) which have external sex organs, poultry sex organs are on the inside.

There's nothing visually noticeable on the outside as far as the organs go, so it's not possible to just "look between the legs" like you might be able to do to sex a kitten or puppy or newborn human baby.

While there are a couple of visual cues on other parts of the body of baby poultry that can be used to try to determine the sex, I usually wouldn't even try to guess until the chick is at least 8 or 10 weeks old, and even then that's all I would really be doing - is guessing.

There's really only one way to know for sure if chicks will be hens or roosters (short of vent sexing which is usually best left to the pros).

And that's to wait and see. I know, probably not the answer you were looking for, but I always say just wait - your baby chicks are going to grow up and are either going to start crowing or start laying eggs - and then you'll know for sure!

Of course you can always make your best educated guess. I mean, look at it this way: you've got a 50/50 chance at getting it right.

And anyway, it's fun to try to figure it out.

10+ Ways to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Vent Sexing Chicks | Leave it to the Professionals

As I mentioned above, the most accurate way to figure out if chicks will be hens or roosters is to vent sex them.

All the chick hatcheries have professional chick vent sexers (yes, that is actually a legit job!) who get it right more than 90% of the time, but for us backyard enthusiasts, chick vent sexing just isn't something we can realistically do.

You can easily injure a chick if you don't know what you are doing, so vent sexing is really best left to the professionals.

Vent sexing involves squeezing the feces out of the chick, which opens up the chick's vent and lets the sexer see if the chick has a small "bump" inside.

Males have bumps, females don't.

Vent Sexing Ducklings

Incidentally, sexing ducklings is a bit easier than sexing chicks. With some practice, it's possible to sex your ducklings at hatch.

Duck hatcheries, such as Metzer Farms in California, also do employ professional sexers, to be sure they're sending the correct gender ducklings to their customers.

To help those of us at home, they have also put together this really great video that explains how to sex ducklings, if you want to learn how. It also explains which breeds can be color-sexed versus vent-sexed.

Of course, it's important to handle the ducklings gently and be careful not to hurt them, but sexing ducklings is something you can definitely try at home.

As for baby chicks...

We mere mortals are left to try and make an educated guess based on a baby chick's appearance, demeanor or attitude ... and a lot of luck.

I personally don't feel confident that I've guessed correctly until I either hear a crow (starting at around 10-12 weeks usually) or see an egg (starting at around 18+ weeks), but there are some who claim that it is possible to sex chicks using some of these old-timers' methods.

Old wives tales or actual fool-proof methods? You be the judge.

10+ Ways to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Here are some of the more popular ways I've read to try to determine the sex of your chicks along with some commentary from me about whether or not they really work.

Using Egg Shape to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Some say that rounded eggs are hens and pointy, football-shaped eggs are roosters.

I don't know that this has been scientifically proven, but if you have a choice and want hens, I say pick out the round eggs to hatch. I mean, what have you got to lose right? It's worth a try.

However, I would have to venture a guess that this isn't an accurate way to figure out if chicks will be hens or roosters.

Otherwise, the hatcheries would all just incubate the rounded eggs and not end up with so many little roosters that no one wants.

Accurate way to sex chicks? NO.

Using Incubator Temperature to Try to Hatch more Hens than Roosters

It is said that setting your incubator temperature half a degree lower will result in hatching hens, while setting it half a degree higher will result in more roosters.

While this method doesn't actually change the sex of the chick inside the egg, what it will do is prevent the male eggs from hatching.

So your incubation success rate will likely be lower overall, but your percentage of of female chicks will be higher.

Not sure if it really works, but it's worth a try.

Accurate way to sex chicks? MAYBE.

Using Wing Sexing to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

One method that does work on some breeds is wing sexing. But it's a very time-sensitive method of sexing chicks. Wing sexing can only be done within the first 48 hours after the chick hatches.

Hens' wing feathers are two different lengths while roosters' are the same length.

So in the photos above, the chick on the left is a female, while the chick on the right is a male. This method is very accurate with some breeds, but doesn't work with all breeds.

Accurate way to sex chicks? YES.

Using Auto-Sexing to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Another method that also works to figure out if chicks will be hens or roosters is to stick to breeds that can be color-sexed at hatch. That means that male chicks hatch out with different coloring than female chicks.

Some examples include:

Rhode Island Red and New Hampshire chicks can be sexed by their wing color at hatch. Male chicks have a white spot on their wings. Female chicks are generally darker in color.

Red Sex Link chicks such as Cinnamon Queens, Golden Comets and ISA Browns can also be color-sexed at hatch. Female chicks are reddish-brown and male chicks are white or golden yellow.

Black Sex Link chicks can also be color-sexed at hatch. Female chicks will be solid black, while male chicks will be barred and have a white spot on their head.

Barred Plymouth Rocks can be auto-sexed at hatch as well. Male chicks will be lighter in color with a large white spot on their heads.

Female Cream Legbar chicks have a dark stripe that extends over their head, while males have a fainter more indistinct stripe.

Buff Orpington male chicks tend to have white streaks in their down, while female chicks have brown or black streaks.

Accurate way to sex chicks? YES.

Using Comb Size + Color to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Fairly early on, a little rooster's comb will be larger and pinker than a hens. Even at six weeks old, in both photos above you can clearly see the hen's comb (on the left) is much smaller and paler than her brother's (on the right).

Remember thought that different breeds do have different size combs - the hens of some breeds actually have fairly large combs.

So comparing two chicks of the same age and breed will give you the most accurate results with this method.

Accurate way to sex chicks? YES.

Using Leg Thickness + the Appearance of Leg Spurs to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

Roosters legs will begin to thicken fairly early on. Some breeds will even begin to grow tiny spurs on the back of each leg to help you identify your little roosters.

The chick on the far right is a male, the other two are females. This comparison will work better on chicks of the same age and same breed also.

Accurate way to sex chicks? YES.

Using The Hat Trick to Figure out if Chicks will Be Hens or Roosters

Conventional wisdom says if you wave a hat above the chicks and then drop it, the hens will squat down or run and hide, while the roosters will stand alert and even look up at the sky for other threats.

This method intuitively makes sense because the males should have built into their DNA to be brave and protect their flock.

My results were inconclusive with this test. One future rooster did approach the hat, but the test was mostly met with indifference by the rest.

Accurate way to sex chicks? PROBABLY NOT.

Using The Penny Toss to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

It is said that if you rub a penny along the back of a chick and then toss it, if it comes up heads, that means you have a rooster, tails you have a hen.

I did this test a few times on each chick and it came up randomly heads and tails on the same chick, so I don't put too much stock in this method.

And worse, the chicks just kept trying to eat the penny. Which would have been very bad and likely resulted in a bad case of hardware disease. So I'm not going to recommend this method.

Accurate way to sex chicks? NO.

Using the Water Taste Test to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

I have read that if you set down two bowls, one filled with 8 ounces of plain water and one filled with 8 ounces of water and a teaspoon of white vinegar, the roosters will go for the plain water, and the pullets will choose the vinegar/water mix.

I tried this method. They all went for the vinegar water. So much for that test.

Accurate way to sex chicks? PROBABLY NOT.

Using the Gold Ring Test to Determine if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

I had been told by more than a few people that if you put a gold ring on a string or a sewing needle on a thread and hold it above a chick, it will start to move on its own accord.

The ring will start to swing in a circle if its a hen and in a straight line back and forth if its a rooster. I do believe this works. I think the same thing is said to work on pregnant women.

The ring definitely circled over some of my chicks and moved in a straight line over others. At that point I wasn't sure which were pullet and which were roosters, but the ring definitely made its choice.

Update: This actually turned out to be accurate. Go figure!

Accurate way to sex chicks? SURPRISINGLY.... YES!

Using the Hackle + Saddle Feathers to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

By around 8 to 10 weeks old, chicks will start getting pronounced hackle feathers ( the feathers at the base of the neck) and saddle feathers (where the back meets the tail).

A hen's hackle and saddle feathers will be rounded, while a rooster's hackle and saddle feathers will be long and pointy. This is usually my first pretty accurate guess as to whether I have boys or girls.

In the photo above, you can see the pointy feathers on the roosters hackle and saddle. Roosters will start to grow long tail feathers as well around the same time.

This is a very accurate way to tell the sex of your chickens, but it does require waiting until they're almost 3 months old.

Accurate way to sex chicks? YES.

Holding a Chick to Figure out if it will be a Hen or Roosters

I've heard that if you hold a chick up in the air with your fingers grasping the chick just above its wings, and it moves around and pulls its legs up towards its body its a little rooster, and if it lets its legs hang or sticks them straight out and barely moves, its a girl.

I've also read the exact opposite - that the girls will pull their legs up and roosters will straighten them out.

Accurate way to sex chicks? PROBABLY NOT.

Holding a Chick Part II

A variation of the above method is if you turn the chick onto its back and hold it in your palm and it struggles to right itself ifs a male, if it lays still, its a female.

I haven't found this method to be too accurate, but it's worth a try. I mean, you have nothing to lose.

Accurate way to sex chicks? MAYBE.

Other Ways to Figure out if Chicks will be Hens or Roosters

General behavior is also often an indicator. Roosters will seem to "strut their stuff", even at a young age, bump chests and just "look" more masculine. They will often like to jump up and stand on things. They might be more attentive and cautious.

Hens are usually daintier and have feminine features.

However, chick size generally isn't a good indicator of sex. Male chicks are often the smaller chicks. They will grow slower and they will feather out more slowly, but their feathers might be more colorful depending on the breed.

And there you have it: a couple of ways to attempt to sex your chicks.

I hope these methods of trying to figure out if you've got roosters or hens will help you with your next batch of chicks. If nothing else, they're fun to try.

Q&A

Q: Is it possible to determine if an egg will hatch into a hen or rooster before it hatches?

A: No, you can't tell if an egg will hatch into a hen or rooster just by looking at it. Some hens just lay more rounded eggs than other hens.

Scientists in various countries are working on trying to determine the "sex" of an egg by drawing some of the albumen out of the egg, but so far I don't think the technology is widely available.

Once it has been perfect though, imagine the ramifications! That would solve the issue of unwanted roosters. Egg farms could sell the "male" eggs to grocery stores for food and sell the "female" eggs to hatcheries and all of us to raise as laying hens.

Q: Is it possible to tell the sex of a baby chick as soon as it has hatched?

A: Yes, there are some breeds of chickens that are auto-sexing, meaning that the males and females hatch out in different color patterns, you can can immediately tell the sex of the chick as soon as it hatches.

In addition, professional "vent sexers" are trained to examine a baby chick right after it has hatched and determine the sex based on the sex organs they see.

Since chickens' sex organs are on the inside of their body, not the outside like mammals, it's a bit more involved and complicated than it would be for a dog or cat for example, and better left to the professionals.

Q: Do any of the old wives tales used to try and figure out if you've got hens or roosters work?

A: Surprisingly, there are some methods that seem to have fairly high levels of success! For me, checking for rounded or pointy saddle and hackle feathers seemsto be the method with the highest level of accuracy.

Q: What Do I Do if I Absolutely Can't Have any Roosters where I live?

A: If you must have only female chickens, then buying older pullets or hens that are already laying is a good idea, as is sticking to the breeds that auto-sex.