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Sex Indicators

Variety/Classes
Poultry Parts
Dressed Poultry
Standards & Grades
Age Indicators
Sex Indicators
USDA Labels


  Males Females
Head Usually larger. with larger and longer attachments. such as comb and wattles; coarser than that of females in appearance. Smaller, rather fine and delicate in appearance compared with males. Hen turkeys have hair on center line of head.
Plumage Feathers usually long and pointed at the ends. Tail feathers in chickens long and curved. Parti-colored varieties have more brilliant color than have the females. Most male ducks have a curl in the tail feathers. Feathers inclined to be shorter and more blunt than those of the male. Tail feathers short and straight in comparison with the male. Modest colors in parti-colored varieties.
Body Larger and generally more angular than the female. Depth from keel to back greater on same weight birds. Bones including shanks, longer, larger, and coarser. Finer boned. body more rounded.
Skin Slightly coarser, particularly in old birds.  Feather follicles larger.  Less fat under skin between heavy feather tracts and over back. Smoother, generally a better distribution of fat between feather tracts. Feather tracts narrower but carrying more fat.
Keel Longer, with fleshing tending to taper at the base. Shorter. with more rounded appearance over the breast.
Legs Drumstick and thigh relatively long, with flesh tending to show less full until mature. Drumstick and thigh relatively shorter, with drumstick more inclined to round. ness, increasingly so with age.
There are three standards of quality for live poultry. They are: A Quality, or No.1 Quality; B Quality, or No.2 Quality; and C Quality, or No.3 Quality.

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