Sexing baby chicks is a very complicated process, and sometimes highly professional persons also fail to do it. The rule of thumb is 8-10 chickens and one rooster. A young chicken is a chick, while a male chicken is a cock or a cockerel, depending upon its age. She is also 7 months old. Would you believe the fluffy yellow chick on the right grew up to be our giant boy, Smokey (see his photo farther below)?! Great article! They are pointed and sharp to fight and protect his flocks. Most of the people get confused about what is the difference between a Hen vs Rooster vs Cock vs Pullet? Will a Cockrell get them earlier? My chicks are 8 weeks old and I’m anxious to find out if any or roosters because it’s against city ordinances for us to have any males. The one that crows is almost certainly a rooster. 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These are two of our silkie hens with their young chicks. The tail on a rooster also can be a distinguishing factor. However, the hana word comes from a West Germanic word khannjo. A good hen will lay white egg but will most likely not desire to hatch them as this gene has been bred out of them. Very informative. You just have to sit a bit far from your newly hatched chicks and observe them. The roosters grew up together and they started to fight for the female. You’re welcome, Ashley! I have two 10 week old and two 3 week olds.. I’ve been reading up on chickens . They are friendly and sit on your head or arms if they know you. That can be anywhere from 12-30 weeks of age! So, Rooster is a male fowl. A male chicken is called a ‘rooster’. You can read more about sex links here. Is this something you could do via email or do you have a suggestion of where I could take her (or him I supposed). If same length feathers are there then its a male fowl. Here’s a photo I took of Wolf today. It has a curve to it and is often longer. But Its very complicated sexing chicks. There are many different breeds that come in a variety of colours. Wattle, non existent. Roosters are the male species of a chicken, which often exhibit and appear different from the rest.Below are some of a rooster’s unique features; Crow Sound . Feathers are rounded in shape. In young ages between 1-2 months it is hard to determine the sex of the chickens. Hope, this definitive guide on sexing chickens helped you to understand the major differences between rooster and hen. Chickens have a great usefulness to humans. When that happens, you must look at the bird for clues. Also, while both have combs (small bit of flesh above their heads), and wattles (soft flesh hanging from the side of their beaks), the ones on the males are more prominent. Hens only crows when they give eggs and graze their chicks. Not 100 percent because most of the professional sexers some time fail in this method. However, most of the hatcheries use their professional methods for sexing chicken. For me, this is one of the last things I consider when telling hens and roosters apart, but it is one more characteristic you might notice. What is a rooster and a chicken? Open this photo in gallery: Wency Leung. Young chickens are called ‘chicks’ or ‘poults’. a Rooster vs a Chicken. Lastly, look at a chicken’s tail feathers. A hen however has rounded feathers along its neck. In fact, typically the only places you can buy “vent sexed” chicks are from hatcheries where they have highly trained personnel to do it. I don’t even know what they are called but would love to what they are so I can search for them. A male chicken is considered a cockerel before one year of age. They guard their chicks and fight with any obstacle which tries to harm their chicks. I have pics but have no idea how to attach .. my ten week olds are golden spangled Hamburgh and light Brahma which I was told was a Cochin .. and my three week olds are Americanna and buff Orpington. However, it is not that much of a tricky thing to know when they become adults. As chickens begin to mature, their comb will grow larger and darken or brighten in color. A rooster is known to protect the group of chickens especially the female ones. A minor mistake in vent sexing may kill your chicken. Hi Connie, those chickens are mille fleur du’uccles. Before 1 year of age a rooster may be referred to as a cockerel whereas for a hen they are called a pullet during their first year of life. Fireball and Wolf belong to my oldest, Nathan. O.0, I’m guessing you can’t have roosters? Hen or rooster - do you want to know your meat's gender? The chicken most of us buy in the grocery store is from both sexes. However, the hana word comes from a West Germanic word khannjo. Top 121 Chicken Treats List: What Can Chickens Eat and What Not? Thank you for this interesting article! How to Clean a Glass Stove Top: the Secret that Changes EVERYTHING, The Simple, Inexpensive Way to Organize Tea, Budget-Friendly Pantry Organization for Busy Families, Salt Crystal Snowflakes Winter Fun for Kids, DIY Homemade Linen Spray with Essential Oils, How to Make the Easiest Homemade Playdough Recipe {Lasts for Months! Awesome! Good luck! Cockerels usually have larger brighter combs than hens. When I was small and started to study English, I had pictures labelled cock, hen and chicken. Also, they are shiny and pointed in shape. :). Ask Question Asked 8 years ago. Hope your chickens are well. We have 4 chickens and I think one might be a rooster. If you want to email me a picture at erika(at)livingwellmom(dot)com, I can try to guess. Me too, but we have a brown chick which doesn’t know how to crow or walk, it seems that he/she is neither hen nor rooster, we named him or her monster. But I’m still getting mixed signs. He is also a bantam black cochin. I’m not sure about the others. So in usual terms, a male chicken is a rooster and a female chicken is a hen. If you liked this guide on ‘Hen vs Rooster’ must share it on your social media to help other chicken farmers. Now we will tell you how to understand which chicks are male fowl and which one is male. Legs of adult hens have spurs but they are not that much pointed as compare to roosters leg. Hens always graze with Roosters. This method is a no touch method for sexing chicks. I’m hoping you can help…. The common saying among chicken experts is "if it crows, it's a rooster; if it lays an egg, it's a hen," easily identifies hens and roosters. Very helpful with the photos. I read a few other posts in the search results and yours was the most informative and helpful by a landslide! On the other hand, here is “Fireball”, our Light Brahma pullet. Please use professional advice for veterinary and business advices. She loves Jesus, writing, baking with her kids, learning about herbs, homeopathy, and flower essences, and her animals, including her 45 backyard chickens. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Chicken vs Hen vs Pullet vs Cock vs Cockerel vs Rooster vs Capon. Roosters are chickens too, so that question won’t help much. Our bantam brahmas weren’t looking too different until recently, when one got a redder face…he crowed this morning. Hen is a female fowl. In rural areas roosters are like an alarm clock. Roosters are known to be more aggressive than the female chickens. So, now we know how to sex chicken? So, here are some tips sex your chickens. 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