Hatching/Incubating Service

[LuvinChickens]

I'm doing a hatching/incubating service for people in Northern CA. It will be two dollars per egg. I will sex the chicks after they hatch. I will then put a loose colored band on the legs of the chicks. There will be a small extra cost for shipping or driving depending on the transportation. Please contact me with questions. We can figure out all shipping through PM or Email.

 

[Phage]

How do you sex the chicks?

 

[LuvinChickens]

How do you sex the chicks?

Hi!

To sex the chicks, at 1-3 days old I look at the wings of the chicks. If you can clearly see two rows of feathers that are coming in, it is a girl. If there is clearly just one row of growing feathers, it is a boy.

Example:
This is a boy. Notice how all of the feathers are about the same length.

This is a girl. Notice how there are two rows. The primaries are longer than the coverts.

 

[Phage]

But that only works if the chicks have sex-linked feathering - like much of the hatchery derived stock.

I am looking for someone who knows about vent sexing. I suspect it is a dying or dead "art".


BTW I suspect that people who may want your hatching services would want to know what type of incubator you have, how long you have been hatching, and your average hatch rates. Also is the $2 per egg for each egg you accept, or each chick that hatches.

 

[LuvinChickens]

The wing sexing might only work on purebred chicks. I have been hatching since may and my hatch rate is about 80-85% from 5-6 hatches. I have a 1588 hova bator with an auto egg turner. $2 for every chick that hatches. Sorry I forgot to add that. I would love to know how to vent sex, but I am raising sserama bantams and that would be really hard.

 

[mstricer]

Are you using your eggs or their eggs. I do the same thing in spring and summer. I set like 180 eggs, I don't sex them, I don't need any extra roosters. This year I plan on using either the barred rock or grab a buff rooster from down the road to put over my barred rock girls. My price is dictated whether or not I use my own eggs or buy eggs to hatch for them, or I use their eggs, which generally have a horrible hatch rate. Plus I have to compete with the hatchery around the corner.

 

[LuvinChickens]

Either. My Black Copper marans, Olive Eggers, and serama are not laying at the moment, so eggs from me might not work. I figure cost will be the same, except there is no shipping to my house if they are my eggs.