[bricktop]

I'm sure this must have been asked a thousand times so once more can't hurt. What is the most reliable method of sexing chicks? I finally bought a decent incubator and now of course I have to separate out any cock birds. Advise gratefully received. Thank you

[Sylvia]

The only reliable way is to buy eggs from a breed that is auto-sexing.i.e. having chicks that are different colours when hatched according to sex.
Otherwise wait until the males start crowing then eat them. What would you do with male chicks?

[Mays]

hatch either sex-linked cross or auto-sexed breed, simples
I must add, neither is 100%, but 80% with pure breeds, and higher for auto

[darkbrowneggs]

Would agree with the last two posters. 
 
But what are you hoping to achieve from your birds, and reasons why you are hatching ie good layers, birds for meat, hatching pure bred lines?  All will have a bearing on the advice one might give.

[in the hills]

Not clear to me from your post ..... have you already hatched out some chicks or are you thinking about what you should put in the inccie to make sexing easiest?

[bricktop]

Hi all. The eggs that I have hatched have come from my own laying birds, Cuckoo Marans, Light Sussex, Black Rhodes, all dealt with by the same Cock bird. My main requirement is for laying hens. We will see how time tells.

[darkbrowneggs]

You don't mention what breed the male is, but I think with that mix it may be difficult to tell chicks by sex-linking, and pot luck as to how they lay, but as long as they are all bred from good layers you may be in with a chance. 

[chrismahon]

Surprised you have started breeding before asking this question Bricktop? When they crow is the only reliable sign. All the other methods are just indicators and can be wrong, except for autosexing breeds as mentioned where the sex can be seen by the down colouring. Autosexing is achieved by crossing certain breeds with others. Some breeds autosex anyway, like Legbars. Random crossing can produce poor layers as well as good, so if breeding for layers you need a long term plan

[Victorian Farmer]

Sylvia  GET auto sexing eggs best bet we have 4 sexing breeds the hatching this month is so bad over half are cocks .Christmas 100 hatched and 63 were cocks the stock is young so luck plays a part .