How to Sex Rhode Island Red Chicks

Last Updated: August 18, 2022

Sexing Rhode Island Red chicks can be difficult even for experienced poultry farmers, but there are several different methods you can use to identify and confirm the sex of young chicks. Vent sexing is the most accurate but can also be the most difficult to perform. Feather sexing and down sexing (also called “sex-linked crossing”) are much easier but can also be slightly less accurate. When in doubt, you should be able to easily identify the sex of a chick as it grows and develops, but doing so requires time and patience.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Method One: Vent Sexing

1
Check immediately. Vent sexing must be done within the first day or two after a chick hatches.
- As the chick eats and grows, its lower digestive tract will distend, blocking the rudimentary sex organ from view. For that reason, you need to check before the chick has much opportunity to grow.
2
Pick up the chick. Use your non-dominant hand to carefully catch and hold the chick so that its underside faces you.
- Ideally, you should be able to hold the neck of the chick in between your middle and ring fingers while holding the legs of the chick in between your ring finger and pinky.
- Regardless of how you hold the chick, you must be able to keep it still and secure without applying too much pressure.
3
Evacuate the chick's bowels. Apply gentle pressure to the chick's lower abdomen using the thumb of your non-dominant hand. Doing so should cause the intestinal tract to empty.
- Keep things cleaner by evacuating the contents of the chick's intestines into a disposable container.
- As you squeeze, a small amount of feces should drop into the waste bin. Ridding the intestines of waste is necessary if you want to get a clear view of the vent.
4
Lift the vent. Carefully use your non-dominant thumb to press the edge of the chick's vent up. Continue pressing until the interior border of the vent is directed and secured toward the neck.
- The "vent" of a chick is the hole through which feces exit.
- You need to work carefully since applying too much force can damage the chick's intestines.
5
Spread open the remainder of the vent. Using the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, fold down the other half of the vent to fully expose the interior of the chick.
- You'll need to fold the bottom half of the vent toward the chick's abdomen. Hold it in place with a firm yet gentle pinch.
6
Check for the sex organ. Peer into the opened vent and look for the male sex organ. If you are unable to find it, the chick is likely female.^{[1]
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- The rudimentary male sex organ, formally called the "male process," should look like a small, semi-transparent bulb. It is located within the second of three folds inside the vent cavity. Additionally, it should look separate from the surrounding tissue.
- Female chicks, on the other hand, usually have a mild depression or swelling in the same area.
- If your eyes are good enough, you might be able to do this using nothing but the naked eye. If you have difficulty seeing the interior vent in detail, though, you might need to use a wearable magnifier while checking.
- Also note that approximately one out of every five male chicks are not clearly identifiable, usually because the male process of these chicks is more difficult to spot.
7
Return the chick. As soon as you complete the check, release your grip on the vent and allow it to close again. You can then return the chick to an upright position and release it.
- Work quickly since holding onto the chick for too long can cause more feces to drop.
- Since this process can be difficult for novices to perform, you should consider getting professional training before attempting it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Method Two: Feather Sexing

1
Check early. You should perform feather sexing within the first ten days of a chick's life.
- Feather development usually evens out by the tenth day regardless of gender, so beyond that point, you may not notice any difference in wing feather size or color.
2
Hold the chick steady. Pick up the chick with your non-dominant hand, keeping a firm yet gentle grip around it.
- The exact placement of your fingers does not matter much, but you need access to at least one wing. You also need to make sure that you have a firm enough grip to prevent the chick from dropping as it moves.
3
Gently stretch the wing. Carefully pinch the outer edge of the chick's wing, lifting it away from the body in a natural direction.
- You don't need to extend the wing to its full length, but you need a complete view of the chick's pinfeathers.
4
Examine the feather size. In many cases, male chicks will have even rows of pinfeathers, while female chicks will have pinfeathers that alternate between long and short.
- Feather size is only an accurate determination of sex if the chicks have been bred with this trait in mind. It is not an entirely accurate method, even though it does work with most chicks.
5
Look at the color. Male chicks have a white spot on the down over the web of the wing, but female chicks do not have this spot.
- This spot may only be visible within the first few days. After the down is shed, it will disappear.
- Since the size of the spot varies greatly, it might be difficult to see, leading to some inaccuracy.
6
Release the chick. After checking the wing feathers, release the wing and return the chick to its proper place.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Method Three: Sex-Linked Crosses

1
Understand the principle. Sexing a chick based on sex-linked crosses will require a basic understanding of genetics.
- Feather coloring is a genetic characteristic passed down through the sex-determining chromosomes of the parent chickens.
- The mother hen will contribute one sex chromosome to the offspring and the father rooster will contribute the other. With poultry, the sex of the resulting offspring is determined by the mother's chromosome. Females carry a Z and W chromosome, while males carry two Z chromosomes.
- As such, if the mother hen contributes a Z chromosome, the chick will end up with two Z chromosomes and will be male. If the mother contributes a W chromosome, the chick will have a Z and W pair, resulting in a female.
- The feather color, along with the sex, will be determined by the mother hen based on the chromosome she passes down.
2
Consider the breeding. Since Rhode Island Red chickens do not have an independent sex-linked coloration trait, the color of a chick's down will only be indicative of its sex when Rhode Island Red roosters are bred with hens of another breed.
- As a result, you can only use the sex-linked method of sexing chicks if you know the breeds of both parents, and if those breeds are compatible with the process.
- The Rhode Island Red parent must always be the father rooster.
- There are several different breeds the mother hen can be, but in general, they will need to be silver, penciled, or barred breeds.
3
Look at the color of the down. Look at the down coloration of each chick. You should be able to make a judgment without even handling the chick.
- If the mother is a barred hen of some type, she will produce male chicks that are black or dark brown with a white spot on the head and female chicks with solid black or dark brown down.
- If the mother is a silver or penciled breed, she will produce male chicks that are either silver, cream, white, or smoky in color. The female chicks will be gold, buff, or red.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Method Four: Growth

1
Give it time. If you aren't in a rush to sex your chicks, you can wait until they grow enough to develop adult sex traits.
- You should be able to notice adult traits within three to four weeks.^{[2]
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- Since many of the other sexing methods require you to act quickly, this is also a good option if you get the chicks well after the initial sexing window has passed.
- This is also the easiest way to determine sex for beginners.
2
Look at the appearance of the developing chick. The first trait you'll likely notice will be the comb. Male chicks develop combs within three to six weeks.
- Additionally, male chicks tend to develop feathers in patchy clusters, while female chicks develop feathers more evenly.
- Male chicks also tend to produce more pointed tail feathers. Female chicks, on the other hand, generally have broad, rounded feathers.
- Most male chicks also develop larger feet and thicker legs than the average female chick has. This trait can be difficult to spot in young chicks but becomes increasingly more obvious as the chicks continue to age.
3
Watch the chick's behavior. Male chicks demonstrate bolder, more aggressive behavior than most female chicks.
- Male chicks can begin crowing within six weeks, but female chicks will only make soft clucking noises.
- When startled, male chicks tend to stand their ground and give a sharp warning chirp. Females are more likely to scatter or crouch down.
- Also remember that only females lay eggs. The timeline for egg laying will vary, but females can begin laying eggs within 16 to 24 weeks.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I save a hen after a dog has attacked it?

Community Answer

Use penicillin on a daily basis for at least a week. Be careful to not overdose and inject only in muscle tissue.
Question

Where can I find Rhode Island Red Chicks?

Zeta Whitmer

Community Answer

They are pretty common and can almost always be found in your local farm store during chick season, which is normally in the spring, depending on where you live.
Question

How often do I feed Rhode Island Red baby chicks?

Darthchicken

Community Answer

Twice or three times a daym depending on how many you have. Make sure the feeder is always full.