Help with determining sex?

michellegerrey · **Posted:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:56 am

Hi,

I'm Michelle and I'm new to all of this :-D

I wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for all the fantastic info on this site! When I was thinking about getting chickens and researching as much as I could, I got most of my info from here.
I've recently bought 4 Light Sussex x Isa Browns and they are doing great. They were advertised as pullets and the breeder gave us a guarantee that if we ended up with a rooster we could swap it/get a refund. So far we have swapped one...
Anyway I have no idea how to tell the sex of a chicken (apart from what I have read on here, but no experience) and I was wondering of someone could help me out with this one?
My girls (I hope) are 8 wks this weekend and the one I'm unsure about is the one at the front. I haven't noticed any rooster-like behaviour (which is what gave away that the one we swapped was a boy - that was at 5 wks) but she looks a little bit different to the others.
Any help is greatly appreciated - thank you!

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

They'll ultimately show themselves to be roosters by having a bigger comb, larger bodysize and crowing! They could all be hens by the look of them. The closest one to the camera might have a small chance to be a rooster, just wait and see.

michellegerrey · **Posted:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 6:12 pm

Thanks I figured that would be the case - I was hoping to swap any roosters I had before they grew up too much and I got attached to them :cry:

At approximately what age do they start to crow?

OakA · **Posted:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:20 pm

Sexing can be difficult until you get your head around it and learn the subtle differences between the sexes.
The heavy breeds usually the ckls are slower to feather while young, in the brooder or still relying on warmth from mum.
If ckls they should begin to crow just before or as the come to maturity.
At this age ( shown in your attached pic)you might expect the size and comb to be a bit bigger and the comb more red coloured.
An examination of the feathers over the saddle ( across the hips/back) will show the sex. The pullets will have spatula shaped feathers, rounded on the end like the shape of your thumb. The cockerels will have pointed feathers with a shiny silk like edge to each feather.This pointed feather is unique to the males and is what is refered to as "sex limited" in that only the males will have this feather quality, the same silky pointed feather is evident around the neck, the saddle and with full maturity the tail covers and sickle.
The only exception to this rule is "hen feathered " game males and the likes of Silkies where it is difficult to the novice to distinguish the feather shape and texture.

michellegerrey · **Posted:** Thu Sep 02, 2010 9:24 pm

Thanks Oaklands that's fantastic info!! I'll be sure to try and catch her/him and have a look tomorrow - keep fingers crossed for me that we have a girl!!!
Here are another couple of pics but unfortunately they are not so clear either - as you can see the comb on this one is definitely bigger than the others but it's not any redder - she is a little bit redder in the face (lobes and wattle????), although the photo doesn't show it that well - she looks more red than pink in the sunlight.
Thanks again for your help and I'm sure I'll be kept busy tomorrow trying to catch her to check the feathers (they are getting used to me but still not so keen on being handled). :lol:

OakA · **Posted:** Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:03 am

Hi Michelle,
Have fun sorting it out.
I must have been tired last night, end of a long hard day, I overlooked the obvious. :oops:

I re-read your post/question and should have seen it immediately. :shock:

I see they are Sussex X Isa Brown, I assume for convenience of getting parent stock, they are Sussex male X Isa females??
The solution should be easy as the Sussex if a "light" Sussex as suggested by thier colour is a 'pure' silver and Isa hens are 'golds', in this case all female progeny should be "silvers" as they appear to be.
Although the parents are two different and distinct breeds there is a link, the Isa Browns are a Rhode Island Red deriviant and are the same colour pattern ( columbian gene), but the Isa Brown is a 'gold' breed and the light Sussex a silver breed.
In genetics 'silver' is a sex linked gene, it is carried and inherited along with the "x" chromesome,males xx and females xy, to be silvers the females only need to inherit one silver gene from thier sire, a male to be silver has to have two silver genes other wise he would be gold.This is how duckwing coloured game fowl are bred, silver duckwing males are pure for silver(2 silver genes) and gold duckwing males have only one silver gene and show as gold, all duckwing females are the same colour with some variation due to other minor genes that refine colour appearance and/or expression.
I hope I have not confused you. :lol:

If I am correct in what I see in your pics then they are all female, if there were any males in your purchases they would be 'gold' not as they appear black and white(silver), any males by the laws of inheritance would have to be black and red/orange(gold).
Cheers

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

Oaklands, all chicks from a Light Sussex rooster homozygous for silver (SS) are going to be silver (S) irrespective of the colour of the hen they are mated to. To get an autosexing cross, you have to do it the other way around, that is a red (ss) rooster and a silver hen (S). Chicks from this cross will be red females (like ISAs) and white males.

michellegerrey · **Posted:** Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:30 pm

Thanks guys - all a bit confusing to me :?:

I will try the feather thing and see if I can make anything of it.
And yes, andrewschooks, all of the chicks were silver - the one we swapped looked exactly the same as the others but for the bigger comb and really red face.
Thanks again for all your help

OakA · **Posted:** Fri Sep 03, 2010 7:05 pm

My apologies for leading you astray Michelle and "YES" Andrew you are 100% correct.
Was not a good night and was up very early.
I was on the right track, just had it all A... about.
Now you point it out it is obvious, only the ckls would be silver from the reverse mating to that I assumed.
Glad you are on the ball Andrew or I was sending Michelle on a wild goose chase with all the wrong info.
Thanks

michellegerrey · **Posted:** Sun Sep 12, 2010 10:37 am

Hey Guys,
Just thought I would let you know that our suspect chook Emily turned out to be Emanuel after all

So he's gone back to the breeder and we now have 3 newbies (hopefully all girls).
Thanks again for all the helpful info and I'll post some pics of our new babies when I get a chance.
Cheers,

Michelle

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