How To Tell A Rooster From A Hen? Tail Feathers Can Be A Help!

Chickens of all kinds and breeds are widely used in the human food industry, however, we have assigned different roles for the male and female chickens, the male chickens are often called roosters whereas the females are simply called hens.

Although it's important to be able to distinguish between hens and roosters, several things such as wings can help people determine the sex of the chicken. Apart from the rooster's feathers, there are far more interesting facts about a chicken or roosters which may not know.

Female chickens help us a lot when it comes to meat consumption, although there is so much to learn about these tiny hens or rooster chicks.

It can be a little tough to first determine the difference between hens or a rooster but once they reach the juvenile age, it can get easy after keeping a few things in mind.

Like dogs and puppies, the chicken also loves to play.

They love to run and flap their wings, it makes them happy and stimulates good hormones in their body. Those birds with hackle feathers also love sunbathing.

Thus, it's a common sight to see numeral chickens clustered together sunbathing on a warm sunny day. An interesting fact about them is how motherly some hens can be.

There are several breeds of hens that can even hatch eggs which are from other hens or birds.

Hens are famous for their overall motherly nature and in farms they are often used to incubate eggs of numeral birds or other hens from the farm. As simple as the incubating process may seem, it is much deeper and interesting.

When a rooster or a hen is still in an egg they are introduced to numeral sounds by their mother. A hen often teaches its chick sounds when they are still in the egg.

Not just that, both roosters and hens are very smart, they don't forget people easily and have a really good memory.

They can not only recognize the people they see every day but also can remember up to 100 plus faces and even distinguish between them.

The eyes of hens and roosters are also very competent, unlike dogs, their eyes are well equipped to see colors, newly hatched chicks can see colors, and not just that, their world is even more colorful than ours.

A hen can not only see colors but can also clearly see ultraviolent light and some hues as well. The baby chicks are almost as good as dogs and cats when it comes to their cognitive skills.

Not just that, their emotional quotient is very strong.

They form bonds and they make friends with other hens and roosters. Their feelings can go to an extreme where they can die if their friend or a member of their family has died.

Almost all the chicken breeds or hens and roosters can taste salt but they cannot taste sugar. Young chicks and adult chickens are capable of dreaming just like us humans.

Hens and roosters have shown rapid eye movement which means they are very much capable of having dreams.

However, when it comes to disguising between a rooster and a hen, the easiest approach would be their wing feathers. If you're interested to learn more about these brilliant birds, keep reading!

If you enjoy this article, why not also read about chicken facts or facts on Jungle Habitat here on Kidadl?

At what age can you tell a rooster from a hen?

The crucial part of differentiating between a rooster and a hen is the rooster's tail feathers, when it comes to identifying between different breeds the hackle and saddle feathers play an important role too.

Adult feathers are more than enough when it comes to determining whether you have a rooster or a chicken. However, if your chicks are small it can be a little hard as they are all almost the same.

Once a hen starts laying eggs it becomes pretty clear which sex they belong to, but a hen doesn't lay eggs until they are six months old. Hence, in most cases, you may have to wait for six months before you can tell whether it's a hen or a rooster.

The rooster combs are another feature that you can use to differentiate between a rooster and a hen pretty quickly. Their feathers are useful but both roosters and hens don't show their feathers until they are six or seven months old.

When it comes to the comb, almost both the sexes have them. But as your cockerels mature their combs and wattles will be bigger and brighter.

These tiny features can help you tell between roosters and hens from a small age. The sickle feathers also help to a great extent.

When it comes to the roosters, their curved tail feathers are very different than those of a female. The roosters have long curly tail feathers which are known as sickle feathers.

These feathers start showing as soon as they get three months old, thus you can easily differentiate between hens and roosters. A hen's hackle feathers are shorter compared to those of a rooster.

A rooster has long flowy hackle feathers. The roosters develop feathers on various parts of their body which helps determine the sex.

The hackle feathers are one such feature. The neck feathers in hens are shorter, but in roosters, they are long and flowy.

When it comes to farming chickens, often sex link chickens are preferred. The method is used for several years and it is used to breed optimum quality chicken which is best for consumption and requires little care than the ordinary chicken.

Can a hen look like a rooster?

Young rooster chicks and hens look almost very similar, thus causing common confusion between breeders. However, due to some first-generation sex links the roosters and hens might look a little similar, given their color is changed.

However, there are still some features that can be seen and they are very useful when it comes to telling hens apart from roosters.

A lot of people prefer hens as they are more useful, they lay eggs and are good in the meat consumption industry. Therefore, a lot of breeders are eager to know the sex of the chicks as soon as possible.

There are some ways through which one can figure out whether they are rooster eggs or not.

Although, this method is not scientifically marked right many people rely on it. If the eggs are pointy and sharp, most likely a rooster is going to come out of it.

If the eggs are round and not that sharp, it's going to be hens.

Feathers play an important role. Raising chickens can be a difficult task but knowing which chick is a rooster and which chicks are hens can help you provide the right care for them.

Some chicken breeds have large females and saddle feathers that are also long and flowy thus creating an illusion that it might be a rooster.

The same happens with Jersey giant chickens, they are big and often they are thought to be roosters. The most ideal way to find out is to wait for six months and by then the feathers will be fully developed and your female chickens will start laying eggs as well.

Upright tails and long flowing saddle feathers which are pointy mean it's a rooster.

If the tail feathers are curved, and the sale feathers are in a waterfall kind of position or they are flowing off the shoulders of the rooster mimicking a waterfall, that means it's a rooster. Saddle feathers are excellent indicators of the sex of the chicken.

Are hens happier with a rooster?

Roosters are often more energetic and are bigger in size compared to females of the same breed. A rooster is also more powerful, thus in some cases, they might bully small females and it can cause chaos. However, that's not true for every case.

Some people keep roosters away from their hen houses as they create more tension and can start pulling feathers, which is also bullying the female in a way. It's very important to have a well-mannered rooster, who doesn't start bullying the hens.

In some cases the roosters create drama and start chasing or following the females around constantly, causing a lot of stress.

Thus, before getting a rooster it's important to understand the nature of your hen house.

If the females are timid, then it's best to get a rooster that doesn't bully them and has a good nature. A hen is capable of laying eggs even without a rooster, the eggs will be infertile and won't develop into a chick, however, having a rooster around can ensure that the eggs will be fertile.

How To Tell A Golden Laced Wyandotte Hen From A Rooster

It can sometimes get difficult to identify between certain breeds due to black sex links or such other genetic modifications which are mostly done on a barred female or just young chicks. However, there are always some ways through which one can identify between the genders.

When it comes to identifying between a hen and a rooster, the key here is to know that a hen is always small in size. The same goes for almost all breeds, even for the juvenile silkies.

The female is a little shorter in size, they have a distinguishable rose comb on their head and have color spaces on the wings. The same colors can be seen on their chest and neck as well.

The roosters however have a darker and more appealing color, their plumage is always darker and fluffier than that of the female.

The chicks of this breed are also very unique, as the name suggests they are golden black in color. The saddle feathers of the male are a little black as well, hence these features can help you identify a rooster.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how you can tell a rooster from a hen, then why not take a look at facts about the most dangerous volcano in the world or facts on the most dangerous animal in Africa.