You can perform wing sexing 1 to 2 days after hatching and usually get accurate results. If you wait longer than this, the wing feather development will accelerate too much to read. [1] X Research source
For example, male Rhode Island Red or New Hampshire chicks will have almost golden down coloring. Similarly, Red Stars are a sex-linked breed, so the male and female are different colors. Males hatch buttery gold, while females hatch reddish-gold. [3] X Research source In some situations, you can estimate the sex of a day-old chick using down color reading. Certain breeds will have sex-unique down patterns. For example, male Barred Plymouth Rocks chicks will have yellow spots on their heads.
In some breeds, both males and females will have what looks like a series of small beads in their anal vent. In these cases, the male will have a larger, round center bead. The female center bead will be flat in appearance. [5] X Research source
In addition, if you wait for a few months, then the males are likely to start crowing.
Another way to observe the fight-or-flight response is to approach the chicks while clapping your hands. The male chicks will issue warning chirps, while the females will usually stay silent.
