How do you sex a five week old chick?

The Classroom @ The Coop: Incubation/Raising Chicks: How do you sex a five week old chick?
By Anonymous on Thursday, April 25, 2002 - 09:31 pm:

I bought chicks from Mc murray and they threw in an exoic extra. It is a light Brahm, I want to know how to tell if it is a female or a male. Also some of the supposed pullets (most out of 12)have a knob on the inside of their legs. Does this disappear as they get older or is it a spur?

By Anonymous on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 01:43 pm:

My RIRs have nobs, and that's normal. It is kinda like human males have breasts, but they never develop for nursing. At 5 weeks I would think that you should see a large comb on any chick if it has a straight comb, but I guess you should just wait and see if it develops nice hackle (neck) feathers, then you'll definitely know it is a boy.

By Anonymous on Friday, April 26, 2002 - 08:05 pm:

It has a pea comb and the wattles a not that red or big.

By Anonymous on Tuesday, April 30, 2002 - 03:35 pm:

pea comb? neck feathers? I have one chick that is 4 weeks old stands 10 inches tall and 8 inches long has nice feathered wings. so far small feathers on its neck. half straight bottom half and thick top half. what sex is it? new to chickens. have 2 red robin or something 2 weeks old and two blackhawks or something like that that are also 2 weeks old. the one that i dont know what it is , is the biggest one. oh and a 3 wwek old one my son got from a farm. sorry writing so sloppy but big chick loves to be held alot . typing with one hand.

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