Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
After you apply light pressure, inspect your chick's vent. If the chick is a male, you will see a
bump about the size of a match head or smaller. This is the intermittent organ and should be in
the center of the vent. The organ is usually dark, but in light pigmented birds, it will be pink-
ish. For female chicks, you should not see any bumps once you open the vent. A bump, no
matter how small, always indicates the chick is a male. Female birds may have a dark spot in-
side the vent, which may look like a bump but is actually just color. You may need a magnify-
ing glass to help see.
Do not make the process longer than it needs to be to reduce the chance of harming your bird.
If you are having trouble determining the sex, put the chick back under its heating lamp and
try again later. If you apply too much pressure on the chick's vent, you may expose some of
its internal organs. If this happens, release pressure and make sure the bird's vent is closed
with the organs back inside. Wipe the chick clean and put it back under its heat source. Do not
sex this chicken further. The chick should heal properly, as its body is still developing, and the
organs will move back into place. Do not sex bantam chicks because their size and body parts
are very small, and even the most delicate of handlers may harm them because of their fragile
nature.
Novice chicken owners or owners who are new to sexing chicks often make mistakes in de-
termining gender. Do not feel discouraged if the rooster you thought you had begins to lay
eggs or the hen you have been doting on starts to crow. Even experienced owners make mis-
takes because the process is very challenging.
If you decide you do not want to try vent sexing your chick, you can try feather sexing.
Feather sexing
Feather sexing, or sexing by appearance, is the second method for determining gender. Phys-
ical characteristics that appear as the chicks grow can indicate whether the bird is male or fe-
male. Feathers are the first indicator. Certain breeds of chickens, such as the Black Sex Link
and the Red Sex Link, show differences between males and females through genetic traits.
The Black Sex Link female is born completely black. Black Sex Link males are black with
one white spot on the top of their heads. The Red Sex Link female is buff or red as a chick,
and the Red Sex Link male hatches as a white chick. Although most breeds do not have this
distinction, you can still use a chicken's feathers to determine its sex. Patterns and markings
are usually different for the hen than for the rooster. As the chicks feather out, you can get a
better view of the patterns. The colors of the feathers are another indication. Males are more
