Does pendulum sexing actually work?

[Quails1]

Tell me, from your experience, have you ever performed this procedure of sexing? And is it an accurate means of determining a bird's gender?

I've heard of and done this method of sexing birds, and while I did get positive results from a few birds within personal experience (and a small percentage of the public), unfortunately, everywhere else in the media tend to declare this has never been proven and simply isn't going to work...I felt so discouraged to notice this, and now I'm thinking that was all coincidental to my perception. It's as if the reality of the internet socked me hard on the head.

Thank you all so much for your faith and honesty!!!

 

[azygous]

It is said that it works! About 50% of the time it is correct.

But that's the same rate as most games of chance.

 

[drumstick diva]

x 2

 

[Gray Farms]

A little old lady showed me this trick years ago. I was amazed!!! It was so cool and it worked!! It works for me the majority of the time. But she was 100% accurate. She said that women are more accurate then men. Men typically seem to find more cockerels "incorrectly" she said. They've got to be at least 3-4 weeks old or a little older though, something about their male/female organs have to develop some for it to work.

 

[Quails1]

Thanks for all your valid answers!

 

[andreanar]

Can you explain what this method is? Ive never heard of it.

 

[Gray Farms]

You take a piece of string and tie a piece of metal on the end, usually a nut. Also worked with a short piece of small metal chain. You hold the chicken in one hand, with its legs and wings tuck in close to its body. Then you take the string in the other hand and rest the nut on the chickens back for a second and slowly lift it of its back about 2-3 inches straight up and hold very still. You hold the bird away from your body by the way during this, not right next to your body.

If its a pullet the nut will start swinging around in a little circle. If its a cockerel the nut will start swinging back and fourth, usually from head to tail.

 

[azygous]

Here's a little experiment you can try at home in your leisure time.

Take the nut tied to a string. Hold it over an inanimate object such as a book or bowl of chowder.

Close your eyes and imagine the nut moving in circles over the object. Open your eyes. You will see it moving in circles.

Next, stop the action and hold the nut over the object once again. Close your eyes and imagine the nut moving back and forth. Open eyes. You will see the nut is now swinging back and forth.

Magic.

 

[The Moonshiner]

No it doesn't work at all.
Since there's only two choices you could say it is 50% accurate. Same as flipping a coin would be.
It was used in the olden days to tell the sex of unborn children. You would put the woman's wedding ring on a string and hold it over her stomache.
Hence why most now use a nut on a string. I've also seen many use a needle on thread and some that stick the needle in the eraser end of a pencil.
Just all another old wives tale.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Oh and for any of the die hard believers of this method.
I'd be glad to take all those "cockerel" chicks that this method pointed out.