The Differences at Two Months in Male and Female Chicks

Differences between male and female chickens can be hard to distinguish for the lay observer, especially early on. By two months, roosters and hens may develop stronger characteristics in feather, color and behavior. Various methods exist for determining the sex of chickens, but no method is 100 percent accurate. Try a few methods to increase your chances of a correct determination of sex.

  1. Feathers

    • The feathers on male and female chicks can vary significantly. Two types of feathers exist in the wings of chicks: primaries and coverts. The coverts are thin and boney while primary feathers are fluffy. In male chickens, or cockerel, the two types of feathers are roughly the same size. Female chickens, or pullets, have longer primaries than coverts.

    Vent

    • Regularly performed by professional breeders, the vent sexing includes examining the chickens' sexual organs for the presence of testes or ovaries. This can be performed from day one and at two months a breeder should even more easily distinguish between the two genders. A home chicken owner may have a difficult time examining the chicken to accurately diagnose the sex.

    Color

    • Some breeds naturally develop color differences and commercial breeders have genetically modified other breeds to show color differences between male and female chickens. By two months, roosters may develop some of their distinguishable coloring compared to the females. They will have brighter, more colorful crowns and brighter wings. According to Mother Earth News, gold-breed roosters mated to silver- and penciled-breed hens produce buff or red females and cream, white or smoky males. Barred Rock hens mated with any brown-head, black- or buff-breed roosters produce black males with white spots on their heads with yellow beaks, shanks and toes and females that are black on top with dark beaks, shanks and toes.

    Behavior

    • At two months, many roosters will begin showing signs of dominance. Some will crow at various times of the day. They also should begin strutting around the pen, clucking at the female chickens. Build a Chicken Coop Easy notes one farmer who uses a frisbee to determine sex. Reportedly, he throws a frisbee over the pen to see which chickens run for cover and which stand upright and make warning noises. The dominant, upright warning chickens are said to be the males. This method is not one of accuracy but may be included with other observations in the determination of sex.