Accuracy of bantam sexing?

[BWchicken]

In the spring I got 5 straight run bantams from local feed store to start a small flock....all 5 were roos. I still have two of them, and want to get pullets for them. But I'll lose my little mind if I end up with another roo.

Mypetchicken.com is apparently the only hatchery in the US that sexes bantams. If anyone has ordered sexed bantams from them, could you tell me how accurate they were? And please tell me they don't include any extra "packing peanut" males.

Thanks!

 

[gumpsgirl]

That's a good question! Everyone I've ever seen that sells bantams will not sex them due to the difficulty in sexing bantams.

I would call the hatchery and see what their guarantee rate is. If they guarantee them around 98 - 99%, then it would be worth a shot I would think!

 

[coffeelady3]

I've got two sexed silkies from them, but it's still too early to know for sure if they're sexed correctly. I can tell you that MPC doesn't do packing peanuts. The type of customers they cater to (small urban flock owners, like me) don't generally want to deal with extra roos, as they're most likely illegal in the cities. People go to them so they don't get packing peanuts.

eta-they may throw in an extra chick, but it would be a sexed pullet...not a roo.

 

[kellykate]

I ordered chicks from MPC this spring -- 5 standards and 1 bantam. They were all sexed as pullets AND . . . they all turned out to be pullets *except* the bantam. So not sure if that helps at all but that was my experience. As always sexing is never 100% unless it is a sex-linked bird. MPC does charge an additional $10 to sex a bantam -- which when they are wrong is kinda a bummer!

 

[One Acre Wonder Farm]

Most hatcheries claim they can correctly sex LF about 90% of the time. Bantams are so tiny as hatchlings that sexing them must be extraordinarily difficult. I can't imagine that they could do it any more accurately than 90%...

 

[BWchicken]

Thanks for the replies.

Coffeelady, will you please drop me a line when you know the sex of your silkies. How old are they now?

Kellykate, that's a 100% failure rate on your only bantam, not too encouraging. At least your big girls were sexed correctly.

I know sexing bantams must be extremely difficult and there will be errors. And I'm sure they would refund the money if some were male, but I'd still be stuck with roos I don't want. I would hope the sexed bantams would at least be a better ratio than straight run though.

Anyone else out there ordered sexed bantams from MPC?

Thanks!

 

[lurky]

I ordered 6 sexed bantams from MPC and got 2 roosters 4 pullets.

 

[france]

We ordered from MPC this spring. They are 9 weeks old now. Of the 4 silkies we have seen no evidence of a roo yet. One tends to be more upright then the other three but that would be the only thing I have to go on.

Of the 3 polish bantams I have been told one might be a roo because his/her poof is more narrow then the other two. But then again s/he was hurt during transit to me and has been behind in growth since the beginning. On the other hand s/he has always been the first to jump out of the brooder and is always the most adventurous of the bunch.

Time will tell

 

[silkie freak 22]

well my buddy ordered 10 cochin bantams and only wanted 1 to be a roo. they only gave him 10 and they were sexed just as he ordered. he said the bill was a little much tho like $10 a bird sexed

 

[RAWR]

ummmmmmmmm......idk.
but im pretty sure with bantams, u can sex them by they're feathers or something