Gender Myth or Proven Method???

[countyroad1330]

My local Atwoods claims to sex the chicks by hanging them upside down by their feet. If the chick fights and flaps back up it is a rooster, if it hangs limp it is a hen. Several employees said this is how they are trained to sex the chicks. They did a demonstration for me, and there is a definite difference in the reaction of the chicks (gender not proven beforehand.) Anyone else ever tried this and found it accurate?? Just curious.

 

[chickengirlnm]

My first three chicks I got I was told the same thing - the lady hung them upside down all hung limp - she said oh good all pullets well a few months later I had 2 hens and 1 roo !!!!
I order 20 babies - from privett was told that all were pullets since they all hung limp when tested well out of that order :

5 brahmas -pullets
5 silver laced cochins-pullets
5 ameraucana- pullets
5 black dutch bantams - 1 pullet 4 roos ( not happy about this since i was really wanting all pullets in this breed )

so I will never again test my chicks this way all it does is give them a head rush, and they never seem to study for the dang test anyway LOL

Julie

 

[HobbyChickener]

First I have heard of this. What age are you suppose to do this? How long are they suppose to hang there?

 

[silkiechicken]

Haha, it's an old wives tale. Like hanging a needle by a string over the chick. Most of the time it's told as a leg puller...

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I don't believe it works. When I've had to dust my birds I hang them upside down (easier to get the dust in their feathers) and some of the hens and pullets are much feistier then the boys.

 

[Dustin Biery]

I have heard this before, and its a wives tale. But becareful doing this, I have heard from Diana, on the other site, that this can cause death in chicks and full grown birds. Something about it causes the food to reverse in the digestive tract and goes in the wrong places or something.. Not sure exactly what she told me, maybe she will chime in and remind me what she said.

 

[BeckyLa]

Would y'all please stop blaming such silly things on us "old wives"?

 

[countyroad1330]

HA! Yes, thank you Becky. I didn't believe this method to be accurate, I just picked the chicks I wanted. I'm a little ticked, though, that this is what they are training employees to do! How goofy!

 

[dlhunicorn]

often a bird will have liquid in the crop and this can reverse ... it will aften go down the "other"hole leading to the airways causing infection or asphyxiation ... it will also cause the birds to be unable to breathe properly to one degree or another (one of the reasons they go "limp"

)

 

[Dustin Biery]

Yeah, thats what I said....Well almost....ok not at all. Thanks Diana!