We have 5 week old Polish Top Hats and want to know
how to tell male from females.

I have what I thought were 12 Black Sexlink Hens. Got them when they were chicks & was told I was purchasing layers. Well, they are now almost 5 months old and seven of them show distinct rooster characteristics; i.e. agressive behavior, crowing, big with coombs, etc. I'm new to the chicken stuff & would like to know How do I tell for sure? Is it true that some hens can look similar to roosters? A couple of them are more passive and their features aren't as strong. If anyone can give me some info I would appreciate it. i plan on getting rid of the roosters, even if I have to butcher em and can em. I want lots of eggs and don't want to continue to feed all these extra roosters. Thanks.

To tell the sex of the Polish, the crest is where I usually saw the first sexually dimorphic feathers. Begining as young as around 10 weeks old (some even younger) the males will begin replacing the crest chick feathers with sharply pointed hackle type feathers. The females will replace the crest chick feathers with more rounded hen type hackle feathers. This is not 100% and if you want to make sure of the sex wait until the male hackle and saddle feathers come in. These feather tracks usually back up the crest feather sexing by around 15-18 weeks of age.

I have a line of Black Australorps that we can't sex accurately until they are much older than our other birds. For some reason the hackle and saddle feathers come in much later in this line.

For Black Sex-links you may have bought strait run chicks. The males of the Black Sex-link cross are barred birds. They should look like single comb Barred Rocks with more Red in their plumage.

If you go to this same source again, select the chicks that do not have the yellow head spot on the tops of their heads. In the black sex-linked cross the chicks with all black heads are female 90% of the time. This is why they make the cross, and allows them to sex the chicks without resorting to vent sexing.

Sexing Chicks

I have found some very usefull information in "the coop" but have been in a serious search for one particular bit of info. that seems to be very well hidden here (if it's here at all).
I am the proud owner of 4 Buff Orpingtons, 10 Lt Brahmas and 6 Dark Brahma chicks that were recieved aprox. 3 and a half weeks ago. They are very interesting and I, also, enjoy the behavior and attitudes that one has from the other and just sit and watch them for hours (the very quiet life I was looking for).
One question I have searched high and low for is still hiding some where in the world and I thought I'd try this, but first of all would like to tell you folks to never ask this question on the internet search. Never type in "sexing chicks". I was scared when I got to some of these sites and I was in the Army....twice.

I would really like to know how to tell the difference or at least be capable of an educated guess.

As best I can tell from the adult photo's that I've seen only the female Dark Brahma is truely different in color than it's male counterpart but this occurance don't take place for quite a spell.

On one of the Buff's there is a considerable comb already but this to means nothing from what I've read.

If aggresive behavior is a trait of a cockrel then they are all boys when I drop a worm in the brooder.

Without me rambling any longer does anyone out there have enough information to at least help me get in trouble with this subject?

Kindest regards
Wingdo