Choosing the right chick

[Saerasx]

So I asked Naomi how the chicks are sexed before coming to the store and I got this as a response in an email. " don't know which method is used to sex the chicks, and I'd say the odds of getting a rooster are about the same for all of the layer breeds we get except the Sex-Links, which are all hens." Not sure how to think about this, she suggested I could go with pullets if I was really worried since I wouldnt have to bother with brooding them. I always thought that would be something very fun to do and Im totally ready for little fluffs. Now since they expect them to all be laying hens, what would you all think or say to this? Im just a little stumped.

 

[montverdechick]

We love our Buff Orpington's. Friendly (my five year old can pick them up) and good layers. Also love the Ameraucanas for their egg color and dependability. Red sex links would be the best layers.

I know there is a place in Portland called the Urban Farm Store...Famous even here in Florida. If I lived there I would get my chicks from there!

Have fun and good luck!

 

[donrae]

So I asked Naomi how the chicks are sexed before coming to the store and I got this as a response in an email. " don't know which method is used to sex the chicks, and I'd say the odds of getting a rooster are about the same for all of the layer breeds we get except the Sex-Links, which are all hens." Not sure how to think about this, she suggested I could go with pullets if I was really worried since I wouldnt have to bother with brooding them. I always thought that would be something very fun to do and Im totally ready for little fluffs. Now since they expect them to all be laying hens, what would you all think or say to this? Im just a little stumped.

If she's selling sexed chicks, she should have an idea of how they're sexed and what the percentage of error is. If they're not sexed, you've got a 50/50 shot--not one I'd be willing to take, myself.

Large hatcheries vent sex the chicks as a rule, and a 90% success rate is pretty standard. If she can't even claim that, you should research alternatives.

 

[Saerasx]

If she's selling sexed chicks, she should have an idea of how they're sexed and what the percentage of error is. If they're not sexed, you've got a 50/50 shot--not one I'd be willing to take, myself.

Large hatcheries vent sex the chicks as a rule, and a 90% success rate is pretty standard. If she can't even claim that, you should research alternatives.

Thanks for the advice, she did tell me when I originally asked that they have and 85% success rate. Just that they dont do the sexing there? Im so confused! The other store we could go through gets their chickens through the big commercial hatcheries- Ideal and Murray McMurray. Im just wondering if 85% chance is worth it or if I should consider I different route.

 

[TLWR]

I bought 5 pullets from TSC last year - all 5 were girls.

Unless you are going with the sex linked breeds, there's going to be a chance that some aren't sexed correctly.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Here are some nice chicks on our local portland craigslist. They are Wheaten Marans non-hatchery stock from show quality lines, have never been shipped and should generally be in better overall health (read: better parent health due to not living in a hatchery, seeing sunshine, etc)
https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/grd/4364270429.html

The downside being that they are straight-run and not guaranteed female. The guaranteed female practices ensure that males are disposed of in a (sometimes) less than acceptable fashion, usually thrown into a meat grinder alive. Here is some information about hatchery practices: http://www.juststruttinfarm.com/hatchery-horrors.html

If you end up with males, at least they had the chance to live, eat grass, feel the sun and then you can re-home them on craigslist. They don't crow until 3-4mos old. Even if they get eaten in the end, they had the life of a real chicken - which doesn't sound like much but compared to a hatchery, it's one of the kindest things you can possibly do for them. I implore you to watch the 2 videos from the JustStruttinFarm link above.

If you cannot find homes for them, there are poultry processing locations where you can drop them off and pick them up as meat the next day, donate the whole bird to a food bank if you can't eat it... http://harringtonpoultry.com/
It is just part of raising chickens and something that needs to be explored and accepted (mentally) before starting this journey

 

[donrae]

Here are some nice chicks on our local portland craigslist. They are Wheaten Marans non-hatchery stock from show quality lines, have never been shipped and should generally be in better overall health (read: better parent health due to not living in a hatchery, seeing sunshine, etc)
https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/grd/4364270429.html

The downside being that they are straight-run and not guaranteed female. The guaranteed female practices ensure that males are disposed of in a (sometimes) less than acceptable fashion, usually thrown into a meat grinder alive. Here is some information about hatchery practices: http://www.juststruttinfarm.com/hatchery-horrors.html

If you end up with males, at least they had the chance to live, eat grass, feel the sun and then you can re-home them on craigslist. They don't crow until 3-4mos old. Even if they get eaten in the end, they had the life of a real chicken - which doesn't sound like much but compared to a hatchery, it's one of the kindest things you can possibly do for them. I implore you to watch the 2 videos from the JustStruttinFarm link above.

If you cannot find homes for them, there are poultry processing locations where you can drop them off and pick them up as meat the next day, donate the whole bird to a food bank if you can't eat it... http://harringtonpoultry.com/
It is just part of raising chickens and something that needs to be explored and accepted (mentally) before starting this journey

The problem with this is, most small backyard folks can only have so many birds. If I could only have 4 birds, I would want to be darn sure they were all female. I wouldn't want to brood 4 chicks for 6 weeks, then try to rehome say 2 males, then get 2 more chicks, brood them until they're 6 weeks, then try to rehome one male, then, what get one chick and hope it's female? that's really not feasible for most small byc folks. Do I wish there were a better way to dispose of male chicks, or engineer eggs so you could get a higher female hatch rate? You bet I do. Do I personally feel responsible for raising all these excess cockerels? Nope, I don't. For most small byc folks they'd be nothing but a drain on resources and a heartache when they've become attached and have to rehome the bird. Most small byc folks would find eating their cockerel quite out of the question.

 

[lazy gardener]

Barred birds are pretty easy to sex at hatch. Then, there's the sex links, and the breeds that can be feather sexed. I'm still a bit muddy on the last one though. But, to quote Naomi's response to Saerasx, it sounds like the chicks are straight run: ~~So I asked Naomi how the chicks are sexed before coming to the store and I got this as a response in an email. " don't know which method is used to sex the chicks, and I'd say the odds of getting a rooster are about the same for all of the layer breeds we get except the Sex-Links, which are all hens." But, I could be mis-interpreting that statement. Even with hatchery birds, it's a gamble. 50% of the pullets I got from a hatchery were roosters last spring. Saerasx, don't let the risk of getting a rooster deter you from your plan to have chickens. It sounds like you'd really prefer to brood your chicks instead of getting older birds. Do your homework, and make your plan. Hatcheries report a 90% accuracy rate on their sexing, and any errors above that, they will replace, so the odds are in your favor.

 

[Saerasx]

So now I'm mega confused. She says 85% for chicks, except for Santa's...the I get that in the email. Trying to cover her tracks? I'm wondering if I should be going with someone else or maybe I'm just being paranoid. But where I am we have a 4 hen max and no roo's so I want to be careful.

 

[mortie]

Where I live, I can have only 4 hens over 8 weeks. No roos over 8 weeks. Younger than that I can have a few more. I am starting my little flock with hatching eggs. I will brood the chicks I get and pick out the 4 females I want and sell the rest of the girls. Rehoming the boys is a bit of a pipe dream around here. They're going to be eaten by someone so I figure it might as well be my family. We won't be getting attached to the boys.