How To Sex A Chicken - Wisdom From An Old Timer

[gg706]

That was one of the best!!!! I love that show! Mike Rowes BEST line yet..."just a couple of guys squeezing the crap out of some chicks!"

Mike Rowe Dirty Jobs episode about sexing chicks at Murray McMurray:

 

[Jessie0612]

This is how we have always sexed our chickens. My granddaddy taught us the first year we decided to raise chickens. It has always worked for us.

 

[gryeyes]

I have found that after about 20-28 weeks of carefully observation that the birds that eggs come out of are hens. I have had 100% success with this system.

I know this is a four year old thread, but this, Opa, is exactly the same method I use to sex my chickens.

 

[Momoftwo04]

You can sex a chick at days 1 & 2 after they hatch by checking their wing feathers. A pullet will have primary feathers longer then the coverts and a cockerel they will be the same length as the covert. Can only be done the first 2 days because after that they grow too fast.

 

[Moonkit]

You can sex a chick at days 1 & 2 after they hatch by checking their wing feathers. A pullet will have primary feathers longer then the coverts and a cockerel they will be the same length as the covert. Can only be done the first 2 days because after that they grow too fast.

That only works with certain "fast feathering" breeds, not all.

 

[clogan98]

So I just tried this with my chicks. Apparently all my girls are boys, lol. They all tucked in their feet...and called me quite the few bad names. My Orpington, Americauna, and Brahma all let me hold them on their backs calmly. My Australorp raised bloody hell and refused. These "gals" are between 1-2 weeks old. All bought sexed from Urban Farm Store. Really wish they just hatched out pink or blue!

 

[Chukarbuds]

Wow.. I love to hear items like you posted.. Especially from old timers.Ive never knew them to be wrong. cannot wait to try this on mine Thank you for sharing

 

[ellandeeranch]

The fellow at the ranch where I bought my chicks 3 weeks ago did something I haven't seen mentioned here. He would pick up as many from the same hatching as he could, and select the chicks with the smallest comb. He said that within a hatching, the smaller combs are usually the girls. I suspect that in a couple months, I'll discover that his method is about 50% accurate as well! But this wonderful hobby/passion seems to have a rich history of storytelling to it.

It's much like getting a bunch of anglers together discussing which bait/lure/fly works best on any given day at any given body of water!

Richard

 

[milo1108]

I have only had chickens for a few months now but had a few that I hatched with my mom. We got a few eggs and automatically thought ok we are going to get hens. Of all the ones that hatched, we had 7 roos and 2 hens. So next time I hatch chickens I am going to use reverse psychology on the eggs...hatch roos...hatch roos. lol

 

[Calla]

Yesss

I bought this gadget 3 years ago on Ebay, bred silverlace and blue Polish bantams and tried this dangly .....not a ring.....but a magnet on a thin ribbon and ...hurray....only had 2 boys of 85 chicks, which I wanted, to sell as unrelated to another breeder.

I 1st tried it on some of my other Animals, where I knew the sex, Rheas, Llamas, Pygmy goats,Turkeys, Dog and Cats and other poultry etc.
It worked great.

FORGOT to mention, I tested all the eggs with this 'THINGY' before incubating...disgarded all the Boys, why waste time and eggs you can eat...or boil for your Chicks, Cats, Dogs etc.

Calla