Is there a way to determine the sex of barred rock chicks, before they are very old?

Cockerels will have narrower bars making them a lighter color and will have more pointed hackle feathers.

Pullets have wider bars making them darker.

Even before the hackles develope on the roosters they will look very much lighter as they feather out. It's almost like the pullett has white with black stripes and the cockeral has black with white stripes.