Common problem or not?

[Nugget]

A friend who has been involved in poultry longer than I have told me a story where he'd ordered a dozen straight run chicks, was given 11 (told they didn't all hatch), and when grown out he got 3 pullets and 8 cockerels. He was surprised at his poor luck, then returned to the farm for feed. He found a pen full of pullets the same age and breed as he'd ordered. He overheard some people from the farm talking about their success at sexing chicks now.

He warned me that there are crooked breeders doing their best to sex their day-olds, then selling the ones that were not obvious females as straight run to unsuspecting buyers.

I had a similar experience, ordering a dozen, being told they didn't all hatch, then ended up with 5 roosters in 7 chicks. This was from a different farm

I am feeling suspicious, but without a leg to stand on really... how you broach this with someone you want to buy from? Options where I live are limited, and I cannot easily order from a big supplier like McMurray. I'd like to place a small order this spring and wonder if I'll just end up with more cockerels to find homes for...

What are people's experiences with this?

 

[Katy]

I haven't ordered from a hatchery for a long time, but when I did I always ordered pullets and very rarely got more than one roo in the bunch. Now that I hatch my own chicks I almost always hatch more roos than pullets....don't know why, but just seems to be the way it goes.

 

[silkiechicken]

I haven't run across this but have however had terrible luck with males from some of my hatches. I hatched out 6 black silkies and got 5 boys!!! I sold 3 to someone and they got the girl with two boys... and I had 3 boys...

I'm glad they at least got one girl as they were not able to keep boys in the city.

As for dishonesty when selling "straight run" I am not sure. Only experience in buying straight run was when I picked out of a bin of silkies and got 3 boys 1 girl... I just have bad luck with them...

As for selling chicks as straight run after being sexed... that doesn't sound right. Straight run should be as hatched.

 

[kstaven]

I ran across a Dorking breeder a few years back that would do that to people he knew where not chicken knowledgeable. It didn't take long for word to spread. Needless to say he no longer sells chicks. Always best to check breeders out or get chicks from a member here. It is a VERY rare thing to see problems with a transaction on this board.

You could put a want ad in the buy, sell, trade here. Members all over the continent and then some here.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Mine were "sexed" at the Feed Store that I bought them from and I did end up with one rooster out of an original 17 chickens but now that I look back on it, I should have know it was a rooster...meaning I think that was an honest mistake...so maybe your odds are better when you go pick them up yourself at a Feed Store or with a local breeder? At least you won't need any roos for warmth in shipping that way, lol!

 

[ksacres]

My question would be, unless they were sexlinks, how did they sex them as day-olds? Vent sexing takes a lot of practice and is difficult to master. My guess would be, it's just the luck of the draw. I know I regularly hatch out mostly cockerals. I certainly don't do it on purpose

 

[Nugget]

Locally there aren't any suppliers you can order pullets from unless you're looking for sex linked layers (I have wyandottes and an australorp). There are 2 farms I know of who breed and show their poultry around here and say they only sell straight run. I've read that with a little practice a producer can get a good 75% success rate picking out females, and that fits with the proportions my friend and I got!

I thought I'd check if this was a known undercurrent in smaller scale poultry production. I've been involved in chickens for less than a year (and enjoy it!) so I have lots to learn

 

[seedcorn]

I love chickens. I enjoy talking to breeders and keepers of chickens but.........

Many that I've met if they can sell you a bunch of roosters w/out saying they are hens (let you believe what you want) they will. Last 5 light brahma bantams I bought, he would have me believe he was selling me 4 pullets and 1 rooster (was 3 roosters, 2 pullets). I never told him I knew the truth. Another one had about 30 in one pen of polish saying he couldn't sex them and take your pick. I studied them a little bit, they were all roosters. With people, buyer beware.

Want straight run, buy hatching eggs or buy from hatchery. i'd be afraid to buy straight run from hatchery where it is breed that is sold sexed....

 

[moonlitfarms]

I have a friend that works at a local hatchery she said they sex them by the wing pattern. If you would like me to find out more send me an email and I will email you back with info. I will have to call her tonight to find out more.

[email protected]

 

[d.k]

* Wonder if any studies/trials have been trying to increase "female gender" laying?? SURELY there must be. I love stuff like that!