Birds at TSC- are they really pullets?

[Gray Farms]

Yup.
I still have people who don't get this.

They just believe the hatcheries are the experts and know what they are talking about....lol

 

[littlepip]

TSC doesn't take much care with sexing their chicks. (NO HATE ON TSC THOUGH!) I would get a popular breed, since those seem to be more accurately sexed. I bought 6 chicks from them, and all but 2 were roos. You can always sex them yourself too. I would think buying from a nearby breeder would be a better bet.

 

[Gray Farms]

TSC and the other feed store don't sex them on site. They get them in that way from the hatchery.

 

[littlepip]

TSC and the other feed store don't sex them on site. They get them in that way from the hatchery.

Is it because they produce chicks in mass quantities that they don't put effort into sexing them?

 

[townchicks]

Is it because they produce chicks in mass quantities that they don't put effort into sexing them?

The hatcheries do put effort into sexing them. Sexing day old chicks is hard. It is an art, and takes practice. Even the best of them are wrong some of the time, I have heard 10% error is normal. If you buy straight run, you are more likely to get males, IMO, because they have a lot of boys to get rid of, after they've decided which ones are likely pullets. If you order directly from the hatchery, "filler" chicks are usually males as well. Bantams cannot be reliably sexed as day old chicks, so those are sold straight run, also.

 

[Gray Farms]

Is it because they produce chicks in mass quantities that they don't put effort into sexing them?

Its not for lack of effort. Its just that there is a large margin for error. Generally vent sexing day old chick is about 80% accurate on average. So if you ordered 100 pullets you'll likely get at least 20 cockerels maybe even more. @townchicks also has some great points.

 

[Cyprus]

The hatcheries do put effort into sexing them. Sexing day old chicks is hard. It is an art, and takes practice. Even the best of them are wrong some of the time, I have heard 10% error is normal. If you buy straight run, you are more likely to get males, IMO, because they have a lot of boys to get rid of, after they've decided which ones are likely pullets. If you order directly from the hatchery, "filler" chicks are usually males as well. Bantams cannot be reliably sexed as day old chicks, so those are sold straight run, also.

Some hatcheries sell sex linkes and auto sexing bantams.

 

[townchicks]

Some hatcheries sell sex linkes and auto sexing bantams.

Good point. I don't look at hatcheries, because I don't buy chicks, so I didn't think of sex links. I get mine as started pullets, so no roos popping out of the woodwork.

 

[littlepip]

I guess I have bad luck with sexed pullets.

 

[Cyprus]

I guess I have bad luck with sexed pullets.

I bet it's not as bad as mine.
Two full orders of sexed pullets that turned out to be 100% cockerels. All from the same hatchery. We don't order from them anymore.